# Does anyone know if there are criminal penalties attached to violations of the Hatch Act? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 18, 2021, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-there-are-criminal-penalties-attached-to-violations-of-the-hatch-act/952798 "2021-10-18T15:33:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2021, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-there-are-criminal-penalties-attached-to-violations-of-the-hatch-act/952798/1 "2021-10-18T15:33:46Z")
Does anyone know if there are criminal penalties attached to violations of the Hatch Act? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2021, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-there-are-criminal-penalties-attached-to-violations-of-the-hatch-act/952798/2 "2021-10-18T15:35:59Z")
No. [https://osc.gov/Services/Pages/HatchAct-Federal.aspx#tabGroup51](https://osc.gov/Services/Pages/HatchAct-Federal.aspx#tabGroup51) > ​The penalty structure for violations of the Hatch Act by federal employees includes removal from federal service, reduction in grade, debarment from federal employment for a period not to exceed 5 years, suspension, reprimand, or a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000. Civil penalties, not criminal. ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2021, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-there-are-criminal-penalties-attached-to-violations-of-the-hatch-act/952798/3 "2021-10-18T15:52:07Z")
We asked all about this during the Trump administration when they were violating it every single day and the answer from the right was “meh”. So no, it appears the last administration has set a precedent now that can’t be taken back. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2021, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-there-are-criminal-penalties-attached-to-violations-of-the-hatch-act/952798/4 "2021-10-19T14:34:54Z")
Kellyann Conway violated it dozens of times on her own and it was definitely a big fat meh from the right. Several other Trump staff also violated it. IOWARDI [https://oversight.house.gov/legislation/hearings/violations-of-the-hatch-act-under-the-trump-administration](https://oversight.house.gov/legislation/hearings/violations-of-the-hatch-act-under-the-trump-administration) ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2021, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-there-are-criminal-penalties-attached-to-violations-of-the-hatch-act/952798/5 "2021-10-19T15:35:16Z")
I didn’t see anything in the thread to indicate what **D\_Anconia** is on about so: > **[Watchdog files Hatch Act complaint against Jen Psaki over comments on...](https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/15/politics/hatch-act-jen-psaki/index.html)** > > Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has filed a Hatch Act complaint against White House press secretary Jen Psaki, alleging that she appeared to have endorsed Terry McAuliffe during a White House press briefing on Thursday. Psaki, conscious of the fact that she could not endorse a candidate from the podium but wanting to communicate the administration’s plans, said, “We’re going to do everything we can to help former Governor McAuliffe, and we believe in the agenda he’s representing.” After her error was pointed out, she said, “As I understand it, if I had said ‘he’ instead of ‘we,’ that would not have been an issue at all, and I’ll be more careful with my words next time,” Psaki said. “Words certainly matter.” This is the crime that **D\_Anconia** considers worse than anything Kellyanne Conway ever did. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2021, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-there-are-criminal-penalties-attached-to-violations-of-the-hatch-act/952798/6 "2021-10-19T22:13:40Z")
Her arguing over “he” vs. “we” is weaselly. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2021, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-there-are-criminal-penalties-attached-to-violations-of-the-hatch-act/952798/7 "2021-10-19T22:29:37Z")
Can you address the other posts about Trump admin doing the same thing and far more often and more brazenly? ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2021, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-there-are-criminal-penalties-attached-to-violations-of-the-hatch-act/952798/8 "2021-10-19T22:38:02Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Her arguing over “he” vs. “we” is weaselly. To be clear, you read that “Psaki acknowledged that she could not make an endorsement from the podium, saying, ‘I have to be a little careful about how much political analysis I do from here, and not, not traipse into that too much.’” And then heard her say “We’re going to do everything we can to help former Governor McAuliffe, and we believe in the agenda he’s representing.” and you took that to be a personal endorsement from Psaki and not her saying what Biden was going to do, right? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-there-are-criminal-penalties-attached-to-violations-of-the-hatch-act/952798/9 "2021-10-20T02:52:39Z")
So when will she be barred from federal employment? My guess is never. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-there-are-criminal-penalties-attached-to-violations-of-the-hatch-act/952798/10 "2021-10-20T02:55:46Z")
Good guess! [![](http://www.improvmindset.com/uploads/2/5/3/4/25347908/2407724-orig.png) ](http://www.improvmindset.com/uploads/2/5/3/4/25347908/2407724-orig.png) ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-there-are-criminal-penalties-attached-to-violations-of-the-hatch-act/952798/11 "2021-10-20T02:56:53Z")
Can you please go away? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-there-are-criminal-penalties-attached-to-violations-of-the-hatch-act/952798/12 "2021-10-20T03:43:38Z")
She should be made to pay the same way Kellyanne Conway was made to pay, don’t you think? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-there-are-criminal-penalties-attached-to-violations-of-the-hatch-act/952798/13 "2021-10-20T09:23:03Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > She should be made to pay the same way Kellyanne Conway was made to pay, don’t you think? Is there a difference between _tu quoque_ and whataboutism, do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-there-are-criminal-penalties-attached-to-violations-of-the-hatch-act/952798/14 "2021-10-20T09:35:35Z")
More a case of the black hole calling the kettle black. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-there-are-criminal-penalties-attached-to-violations-of-the-hatch-act/952798/15 "2021-10-20T09:52:18Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > So when will she be barred from federal employment? When she intentionally breaks the law over and over and over again? No, wait…that didn’t work during the last administration, did it? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-there-are-criminal-penalties-attached-to-violations-of-the-hatch-act/952798/16 "2021-10-20T10:50:05Z")
So she openly breaks the law, and you don’t care because she’s on your side. Kamala did too, by campaigning in churches. So what, right? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-there-are-criminal-penalties-attached-to-violations-of-the-hatch-act/952798/17 "2021-10-20T10:56:12Z")
Too bad @Bone isn’t still around. > [@Kellyanne Conway should be fired?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kellyanne-conway-should-be-fired/835485/47): > > This thread could easily spawn interesting discussion. Things like, is the Hatch Act good law? Should it be repealed? Does it violate the 1st amendment? Is what Conway did in violation of it? Should certain executive office personnel be exempt from it? Will there be consequences if it can be demonstrated that it was violated? Is there a history of violating it over some number of years or past administrations? All of those could be interesting discussion topics. Instead of that, you’ve … All you did was deflect on Conway until @Bone booted you from the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-there-are-criminal-penalties-attached-to-violations-of-the-hatch-act/952798/18 "2021-10-20T10:57:13Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > So she openly breaks the law, and you don’t care because she’s on your side. 1. She slipped up, she apologized. 2. Were you in a coma during the previous administration? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-there-are-criminal-penalties-attached-to-violations-of-the-hatch-act/952798/19 "2021-10-20T10:58:08Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Her arguing over “he” vs. “we” is weaselly. Is she wrong? I hope, given your disdain for weaselly arguments, you’ll answer directly. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-there-are-criminal-penalties-attached-to-violations-of-the-hatch-act/952798/20 "2021-10-20T11:32:48Z")
She slipped up, and apologized? I’m sure that’s a valid defense under the law. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-there-are-criminal-penalties-attached-to-violations-of-the-hatch-act/952798.md?page=2)