U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) speaks during a property league pursuing the play argumentation luncheon, connected Capitol Hill successful Washington, D.C., U.S., June 3, 2025.
Annabelle Gordon | Reuters
Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell connected Wednesday asked the U.S. Office of Special Counsel to analyse Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for "likely" violating the Hatch Act by making a video to beryllium shown successful airports blaming Democrats for the government shutdown.
The Hatch Act bars national employees, including Cabinet secretaries, from engaging successful governmental enactment portion acting successful their authoritative role.
Multiple large airports person refused to amusement Noem's video adjacent rider screening lines, including Seattle-Tacoma International Airport successful Cantwell's location authorities of Washington, arsenic good arsenic airports successful Chicago and New York.
A fig of airports specifically mentioned the video's imaginable usurpation of the Hatch Act successful their decision. The Office of Special Counsel is liable for investigating imaginable Hatch Act violations.
In a letter to acting Special Counsel Jamieson Greer, Cantwell called retired Noem for "airing a partisan video connection — connected televisions successful nationalist airports crossed the state — successful which she erroneously blames 'Democrats successful Congress' for the existent authorities shutdown's interaction connected airdrome 'operations' and for Transportation Security Administration ... employees 'working without pay.'"
"This connection is not conscionable false; it appears to interruption the prohibitions contained successful the Hatch Act," wrote Cantwell, who is simply a subordinate of the Senate Committee connected Commerce, Science and Transportation.
Cantwell said caller reports bespeak that DHS is utilizing payer dollars and national assets to nutrient and aerial the video, successful which Noem appears successful her authoritative capacity.
The missive notes that Noem, successful the video, stands successful beforehand of an American emblem alongside the authoritative insignia of Homeland Security.
"When viewed successful its totality, Secretary Noem's video tin lone beryllium reasonably interpreted arsenic a partisan connection intended to misleadingly malign the Trump Administration's governmental opponents, person Americans to blasted 'Democrats successful Congress' for the ongoing authorities shutdown, and power their aboriginal votes — each portion omitting the information that Republicans presently power the White House, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House of Representatives," Cantwell wrote.
"As the autarkic bureau liable for enforcing the Hatch Act, I impulse you to analyse this substance immediately," she wrote Greer.
DHS didn't instantly respond to a petition for remark connected Cantwell's letter.
A spokesperson for Port of Seattle, which operates the Seattle-Tacoma airport, said Noem's video was not being played "due to the governmental quality of the content."
A spokesperson for Portland International Airport successful Oregon told CNBC that the airdrome "did not consent to playing the video successful its existent form, arsenic we judge the Hatch Act intelligibly prohibits usage of nationalist assets for governmental purposes and messaging."
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