Thread by @BelievnTheDream

🔥Another violation of the Hatch Act self-promoting in gov't food boxes?

Now in Government Food Aid Boxes: A Letter From Donald Trump!

He sure did!

msn.com/en-us/news/pol…

Millions of Americans who are struggling to put food on the table may discover a new item in government-funded relief packages of fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy and meat: a letter signed by Donald Trump.

#PartyOfCorruption

The message, printed on White House letterhead in both English & Spanish, touts the admin's response to the coronavirus, including aid provided through the Farmers to Families Food Box Program, a U.S. Department of Ag initiative to buy fresh food and ship it to needy families.

It’s the latest example of the president blurring his official duties with his reelection campaign, most prominently by hosting Trump’s acceptance speech for the Republican nomination last week on the White House lawn.

documentcloud.org/documents/7048…

Democratic lawmakers have gone so far as to say the USDA letter violates the federal Hatch Act.

The law prohibits government officials from using their positions or taxpayer resources to engage in electioneering.

Though the president himself is exempt, the ban applies to White House staff and agencies such as the USDA.

“Using a federal relief program to distribute a self-promoting letter from the President to American families just three months before the presidential election is inappropriate and a violation of federal law,”

argued 49 House Democrats led by Marcia Fudge of Ohio in an August 14 letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, requesting information about the purpose and process behind Trump’s letter.

“A public health crisis is not an opportunity for the administration to promote its own political interests. Likewise, a federal food assistance program should not be used as a tool for the President to exploit taxpayer dollars for his re-election campaign.”