Probe into Trump's use of White House as campaign base
The US Office of Special Counsel has opened an investigation into allegations that the Trump campaign’s use of the White House as an Election Day command centre violated federal law, Democratic Representative Bill Pascrell said today.
Donald Trump, flanked by Karen Pence, US Vice President Mike Pence and US First Lady Melania Trump, speaks during election night in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC. Photo: AFP
In a statement, Pascrell said the federal watchdog responded today to his call for a probe, telling him a special unit “has opened an investigation into these allegations to determine if the Hatch Act was violated”.
President Donald Trump monitored election returns in the living room of the White House residence on Wednesday, later addressing some 200 supporters gathered in the East Room.
Pascrell had asked the special counsel, Henry Kerner, to investigate reports suggesting that Trump used space in the adjacent Eisenhower Executive Office Building – on the grounds of the White House – as a campaign “war room.”
News of the inquiry comes at the same time as another incendiary speech from Trump, who again falsely claimed that the US election is rigged.
Due to the pandemic, many Americans cast their votes via mail, meaning the vote count has taken longer than usual.
Historically, Democratic voters do so in greater number – something the president fails to understand.
The president repeated, without evidence, that according to a count of “legal votes” he would be this election’s presumptive winner.
News networks cut away from Trump’s briefing
Several news networks, including ABC, CBS and MSNBC, cut away from the president, who spoke for about 15 minutes in the White House briefing room before leaving without taking questions.
Several TV networks stopped their feed of Donald Trump’s latest media briefing. Photo: AFP
As MSNBC cut away from the White House, after the president falsely declared victory, anchor Brian Williams commented, “Here we are again in the unusual position of not only interrupting the president of the United States but correcting the president of the United States.”
WATCH: “OK. Here we are again in the unusual position of not only interrupting the president of the United States, but correcting the president of the United States,” Brian Williams says on @MSNBC moments into the president’s statement tonight. pic.twitter.com/2AliTQuSsr
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) November 6, 2020
The BBC also reported that there was no basis for Trump’s claims. The votes still being counted are not illegal votes, as Trump suggests, but legitimate mail-in ballots. They are being counted last because that is standard procedure in certain states, the BBC’s North American reporter said.
The Republican governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan, said there is “no defence” of the comments Trump made. In a post on Twitter he said the remarks were “undermining our democratic process”.
There is no defense for the President’s comments tonight undermining our Democratic process. America is counting the votes, and we must respect the results as we always have before. No election or person is more important than our Democracy. https://t.co/BOO2iaTsEf
— Larry Hogan (@LarryHogan) November 6, 2020
Briefings risk breaching law – official
Meanwhile, Pascrell said the president was also expected to be briefed in the White House residence and the Oval Office throughout the day by campaign officials, which he said put executive branch officials at risk of violating federal law.
The Hatch Act of 1939 limits the political activities of federal employees, except the president and vice president.
Photo: AFP
The White House denied any violation of the federal law. “Both the official activity of administration officials, as well as any political activity undertaken by members of the administration, are conducted in compliance with the Hatch Act,” said spokesman Judd Deere.
No comment was immediately available from the Office of the Special Counsel.
Pascrell said the Special Counsel’s office told him it “was not consulted (by the Trump campaign or White House) on the decision to use space inside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building as a campaign ‘war room’.”
The agency launched an investigation last month of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s speech to the Republican National Convention in August, and last year recommended the firing of then-senior Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway for repeated violations.
Special counsel Kerner is a Trump appointee who previously worked for Republican lawmakers in Congress. His office is an independent agency that enforces the Hatch Act. It is not connected to the office of former US Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
– Reuters / BBC
