Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has been accused by a watchdog group, Protect the Publics Trust (PPT), of violating federal law.
The alleged violation involves a mass email sent by Cardona, which the group claims was a politically charged attack on Republicans for their opposition to student debt cancellation. PPT has lodged a complaint with the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) and the Education Department's inspector general, alleging that Cardona's actions contravene the Hatch Act. This law restricts federal employees from using their office to engage in partisan political activities intended to influence the outcome of an election.
According to the Daily Caller, the email in question was described by PPT as "glaringly political." In it, Cardona accused Republican elected officials of "siding with special interests and trying to block Americans from accessing all the benefits of the most affordable student loan repayment plan in history." He also lauded the Biden-Harris administration for their efforts on behalf of American citizens.
Cardona's email read, "Let me be clear: President Biden and I are determined to lower costs for student loan borrowers, to make repaying student affordable and realistic, and to build on our separate efforts that have already provided relief to 4.75 million Americans no matter how many times Republican elected officials try to stop us." He continued, "While we disagree with the Republican elected officials efforts here to side with special interests and block borrowers from getting breathing room on their student loans, President Biden and our Administration will not stop fighting to make sure Americans have affordable access to the lifechanging opportunities a higher education can provide.
The PPT complaint alleges that Cardona's actions, which involved using his official position and government resources to send a partisan email to an official government email list, constitute a violation of the Hatch Act. The watchdog group also highlighted the fact that student loan forgiveness has become a key issue in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. They pointed out that the language used in Cardona's email mirrors that used by President Joe Bidens reelection campaign before he withdrew from the race.
The PPT has called on the OSC and the ED inspector general to "immediately investigate" the email to ascertain if Cardona did indeed violate the Hatch Act. The penalties for such a violation can range from removal from federal employment, demotion, prohibition from federal employment for up to five years, suspension, reprimand, or civil penalties of up to $1,000.
PPT director Michael Chamberlain commented on the issue, saying, You almost have to admire the chutzpa of sending out full-on campaign literature to millions of citizens from your official Education Department email address. He added, Unfortunately, its indicative of the attitude of too many in this administration toward the restrictions and ethics standards by which the executive branch is supposed to operate the ones President Biden and Vice President Harris referred to when they promised the most ethical administration in history.
The PPT's allegations against Cardona are not the first of their kind against members of the Biden-Harris administration. The OSC has previously determined that Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge violated the Hatch Act by engaging in partisan politics. Granholm was reported to have celebrated the Democrats' majority control of the House and Senate in 2020, while Fudge praised Democrats running for office in Ohio. Both White House press secretaries under Biden have also been accused of violating the Hatch Act, as reported by CNN.
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