Congress passed the Hatch Act in 1939 to prevent federal employees from engaging in specific political activities mostly related to campaigns – whether fundraising, distributing information, or endorsing candidates. Its enforcement has been hit or miss, but telling all government agencies to disregard it seems extreme.
Not only has Biden ignored a law on the books since the FDR administration, he has also instructed agencies to partner with third-party groups in a massive "get out the vote" effort.
According to records obtained by The Heritage Foundation through the Freedom of Information Act, Demos, a left-wing advocacy group, helped draft Biden's Executive Order 14019 – which states that federal agencies "shall consider ways to expand citizens' opportunities to register to vote and obtain information about, and participate in, the electoral process."
A senior legal fellow with The Heritage Foundation explains in clearer terms what Demos is doing.
"In essence, [they're] moving the 'get out the vote' campaign that political parties and campaigns normally have to pay for … into the federal government, and having the federal government get out the vote for Joe Biden, his political party and his candidates," Hans von Spakovsky said on Washington Watch Friday.
Demos is also working directly with the Department of Agriculture, The Daily Signal reported. The administration is also working with other left-wing groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union.
Von Spakovsky told show host Jody Hice that the administration has fought against turnover information from FOIA requests by Heritage and other organizations as well.
"Lots of litigation lawsuits have been filed to try to force them to provide it because they don't want to do it," he explained. "And part of the order, and this is relative to the Department of Agriculture, … was that they should contract with third-party organizations to help them with this voter registration.
"They certainly aren't going to contract with any conservative organizations. All they're doing is going to their political allies, left-wing advocacy groups, to help them do that," von Spakovsky added.
And Biden's push, he continued, preys on the most vulnerable voters.
"Assume that you are applying for Social Security disability benefits, and the clerk you are dealing with says, 'Oh, by the way, we want to be sure that you get registered to vote, and here, I want to help you with your absentee ballot.' Well, the people who apply for benefits with the federal government are often elderly, disabled, very vulnerable. What's their thought going to be? 'Boy, I better vote the way the White House wants me to vote. I better vote to support Democrats who control the government. Otherwise, I might not get my benefits,'" von Spakovsky said.
Media, Department of Justic watch quietly
So far there's been little interest in the story from traditional news outlets.
"The answer is yes to that," von Spakovsky said. "And who's supposed to enforce violations of the Hatch Act? Why, the U.S. Department of Justice, which is under the control of Merrick Garland.
"They've never objected to this executive order nor put up any opposition to it. They certainly aren't going to go after any of the bureaucrats or political appointees within different departments like the Department of Agriculture who are engaging in partisan political activities to carry out this executive order. It's just not going to happen."
