Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is finding himself in a bit of a pickle, legally speaking, after he decided to come out and publicly criticize former President Donald Trump while he was debating Democratic Party nominee Kamala Harris on ABC News. Both nominees are doing their best to try and convince folks to cast ballots for them in November, which means all of their supporters are out doing the same thing. However, what Buttigieg posted on X during the debate has many worrying he may have violated the Hatch Act.
Buttigieg got on X while the debate was being televised and posted, “He’s really doubling down on the crazy uncle vibe this evening,” which was a swipe at some of the responses Trump was giving to questions being asked by moderators. The comment did not slip the attention of former Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell, who served in Trump’s administration. He responded to Buttigieg and accused him of violating the Hatch act, which places limitations on federal employees’ political activity while they are serving in an official capacity.
“Hatch Act violation again,” Grenell tweeted, sparking a wave of criticism and legal speculation surrounding Buttigieg’s role as a Cabinet member and his political engagement on social media.
Hatch Act violation again. https://t.co/PaQd7I7Zq0
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) September 11, 2024
The Hatch Act, enacted in 1939, is designed to prevent federal employees from engaging in partisan political activities while performing their official duties. While Buttigieg was not participating in the debate itself, the question is whether his public commentary, which has clear political undertones, crosses the line into illegal territory. Grenell also provided another example later on in the evening:
Another Hatch Act violation. https://t.co/TzHYlNVfT7
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) September 11, 2024
The tweets came during a high-stakes debate in which Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris exchanged words, with both seeking to bolster their cases to voters. Buttigieg, who was not on the debate stage, has long been a vocal critic of Trump and may now face the consequences of his latest remarks.
To be honest, the debate was anything but fair and balanced. The owner of ABC News is a close friend of Harris’ and it became obvious a few minutes into the event that the moderators would be carrying the vice president and favoring her repeatedly throughout the debate. It was almost as if Trump was having to take on three individuals at the same time. Truly disgraceful performance by these “moderators.”
Particularly obnoxious was David Muir. I lost count of how many times he inserted himself into the debate, as if he were the one running for president, going on to fact-check him in real time on several occasions. Of course, this was not done for Harris, despite lying on a number of issues.
“Some Americans who watched the televised sparring told Reuters that they remain unconvinced that the Democrat is the better candidate. In a survey of 10 people who said they remain undecided about the November 5th election, the outlet asked respondents to watch the 90-minute debate and report back with their thoughts. In a reversal of what may be expected, six voters said they would certainly or most likely vote for Trump, compared to three for Harris and one who remained undecided. More than a few suggested Harris will need to be far more serious about paying for her costly priorities before they can consider voting for her. Five respondents described the veep as “vague” when it came to tackling the high prices of homes and home goods,” the report concluded.
"*" indicates required fields
