The US Office of Special Counsel released a report on Tuesday outlining findings from an investigation of Trump administration officials in the runup to the election last November. Prompted by more than 100 complaints submitted to the OSC, it found that 13 senior Trump officials blatantly violated the Hatch Act, a 1993 law that restricts political officials apart from the President and Vice President from participating in a wide array of political activities that could influence an election.

You have seen Hatch Act violations minimized in apparent severity over the last four years. That’s because it became so common to see Kellyanne Conway in a MAGA hat that people assumed the law doesn’t matter anymore.

But this isn’t just her, although the OSC at one point actually recommended she be fired for her “repeated, egregious” violations of the law.

Also listed among the guilty were Trump’s Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, his Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and a host of other top cabinet officials and advisors, including Stephen Miller and Jared Kushner.

Office of Special Counsel report finds Hatch Act violations by 13 senior Trump admin officials.

“Though discipline is no longer possible once subjects leave government service, OSC is issuing this report to fully document the violations…”

The report: https://t.co/3qoa2l5CJl pic.twitter.com/6kB4sJTqxv

— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) November 9, 2021

Each was found to have given interviews in which their behavior or commentary could have influenced the election. Kellyanne, for example, criticized Kamala Harris’ fitness for the Vice Presidency during interviews on Fox. Communications Director Alyssa Farah regularly discussed election-related topics while doing her official job — which is supposed to be a non-partisan position.

The Trump administration got so out of control in the frequency and amplitude of their chronic violations of the Hatch Act, said the OSC, that other career politicians and officials actually contacted them to find out if the Hatch Act was still in effect and whether it applied to them.

That’s how you know your team is breaking the law: When people call the authorities and ask them if laws even exist anymore.

I guess the Trump team learned from the best. Donald Trump never met a law he wouldn’t break.

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