Biden’s Energy Secretary Violated Hatch Act, Watchdog Says

Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits government officials from leveraging their official duties to impact election results, according to an ethics watchdog complaint.

The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust in a Tuesday letter called on the Department of Energy's Office of Special Counsel to investigate Granholm, who during an interview carried out in her official capacity advocated for the election of progressive Democrats. The watchdog group said Granholm's comments were an improper use of her position, according to FACT.

During the interview, which was hosted by beauty magazine Marie Claire and first reported on by the Free Beacon, Granholm was introduced as the secretary of energy and spoke about her responsibilities in the administration. But she quickly transitioned to political discussions about electing more progressive Democrats to office, and acknowledged the chance that she was violating the law.

"I'm subject to something called the Hatch Act, which means I can't advocate for people to call their Members of Congress," Granholm told interviewer Emily Tisch Sussman, a Democratic activist and daughter of a major Democratic donor. "If I weren't subject to the Hatch Act, I'm sure you know I would be, but I am so I can't do that."