Posted on 09/06/2024 7:01:49 AM PDT by Red Badger
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro violated federal law by endorsing President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign and criticizing former President Donald Trump while overseas, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) said Thursday.
The OSC report claimed Del Toro violated the Hatch Act when he said the country needs a “mature” leader like Biden and cannot afford a president who aligns with “autocratic dictators” during a Jan. 25 event. The Hatch Act forbids U.S. officials from participating in political activities while on duty.
“When speaking in his official capacity on a taxpayer-funded trip, Secretary Del Toro encouraged electoral support for one candidate over another in the upcoming presidential election,” Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger said. “This is especially troubling because Secretary Del Toro has himself acknowledged that military work and partisan politics should not be mixed.”
Del Toro also gave an interview to “BBC News Sunday” the same day as the January event, where he appeared to make a remark critical of Trump.
“My worry is that, you know, we as Americans, for as long as I can remember, certainly, since I served in uniform, you’ve had both Republican and Democratic presidents who’ve always abided by the core values of our country, protecting the freedoms of Americans and other people around the globe and protecting democracy itself,” he said, according to the OSC report. “And when you have someone who doesn’t align to those core principles, it makes you wonder, you know, should you be supporting that individual?”
Del Toro self-reported the comments he made during the BBC News appearance to the special counsel on Feb. 1, according to the report. He claimed that while he intended to “respond with a focus on national security and the importance of strong international alliances,” his answers “should have been delivered more broadly without reference to specific candidates.”
The OSC stated that Del Toro’s self-reporting did not clear him of misconduct.
Del Toro’s lawyer, Michael Bromwich, argued that the remarks were spontaneous and did not directly violate the Hatch Act, according to the OSC report. Del Toro also argued that the interview didn’t air in the U.S., and he denied making the specific comments attributed to Trump.
Possible penalties for violating the Hatch Act include removal, demotion, reprimand or a civil fine up to $1,000, according to the Navy Times.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh acknowledged the OSC report and said that Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks had earlier approved a memo detailing political engagement guidelines for both military and civilian personnel within the department, Navy Times reported.
The United States Navy did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Do we have any REAL AMERICANS running this government?
“People have lost their jobs and careers for lesser violations of The Hatch Act than this egregious scofflaw..................”
If you’re with the party, consequences are no concern.
No.........next question...............
If self reporting excuses breaking the law then people who commit crimes should sekf report and go free.
Scumbag knew exactly what he was saying
And knew there would be no consequences
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro needs to be prosecuted, or at least resign. Given the traitorous corruption in the current DOJ, the prosecution will have to wait until President Trump takes office in January and does a Herculean cleaning of the DOJ stables.
Fire his azz. What the hell did they do with the UCMJ? The military is in heap big trouble and nobody is doing anything about it. The lunatics are running the asylum.
It should be obvious by now.
The entirety of Fed.gov is politically corrupted.
FIRE HIM, SIMPLE.
FIRE HIM, SIMPLE.
This guy was in 22 years and retired as a commander? Shouldn’t he have been a Captain?
FIRE HIM, SIMPLE.
Preferably out of a cannon.
Yes, if he was ‘exceptional’................
If we know about this so do our enemies.
But that doesn’t seem to bother anyone inside the Beltway.
The USS Missouri has several...............
“People have lost their jobs and careers for lesser violations of The Hatch Act than this egregious scofflaw..................”
Open the gate and walk him on out.
Born in Havana, Cuba, Secy Carlos Del Toro is responsible for
over 1 million Sailors, Marines, reservists, and civilian personnel
<><>he has an annual budget exceeding $255 billion.
<><>he oversees 334,896 active duty personnel
<><>54,741 Navy Reserve personnel
<><>387,637 total uniformed personnel (official data as of July 31, 2023)
<><>279,471 civilian employees (As of 2018)
<><>480 ships total, of which 300 are deployable (As of 2019)
<><>2,623 aircraft (As of 2018)
His priorities include securing the training and equipment successful naval operations demand and addressing the most pressing challenges confronting the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps by strengthening maritime dominance, building a culture of warfighting excellence, and enhancing strategic partnerships.
I used to work as a contractor on a Navy Base during the first Clinton election.
A civilian woman worker was fired for violating The Hatch Act.
She would stand outside the main gate on a public sidewalk waving a Ross Perot sign as people drove in and out the gate coming to and leaving work..............
Meanwhile, the Navy can’t recruit sailors, so Del Toro’s “solution” is to take 17 support ships out of service and reassign the crews.
Del Toro’s comments were made about Biden in January, when the Dems still pretended Biden was compos mentis. Does Kamala Harris measure up to his “mature leader” standard?
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