Top Tweets for #CLANS

Today the Steady State filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel requesting an investigation into Pete Hegseth's appearance at a partisan campaign rally in violation of the Hatch Act. The complaint, addressed to Acting Special Counsel Jamieson Greer, centers on Secretary Hegseth's May 18, 2026, appearance at a rally in Hebron, Kentucky, where he spoke in support of Republican congressional candidate Ed Gallrein. Secretary Hegseth took the stage less than 24 hours before polls opened, telling the crowd he was appearing "in my personal capacity as a private citizen" — even as his remarks repeatedly referenced his role as Defense Secretary, including his description of "when President Trump first offered me this job." The Steady State's complaint explains that while most senior political appointees may campaign for candidates in their personal capacity under the Hatch Act's special rules for Presidentially-appointed, Senate-confirmed officials, the Secretary of Defense is not among them. That policy explicitly identifies "speaking at a campaign rally for a candidate for partisan political office" as prohibited activity "in concert" with a candidate, regardless of whether the official is off-duty or acting in a personal capacity. Rules like the Hatch Act exist to keep our national security leadership focused on protecting our country, not on winning elections for the President's preferred candidates. Secretary Hegseth's decision to campaign at a partisan rally, in defiance of clear DoD policy, is exactly the kind of erosion that turns an independent national security apparatus into a political tool. #politics #corruption #trump #hegseth #holdfast