Trump Administration Reportedly Hijacked Employees’ Accounts To Send Emails Blaming Democrats for Shutdown
Furloughed employees at the U.S. Department of Education said their government email accounts automatically sent out of office messages blaming Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown, CNN reported on Thursday.
On Thursday morning, ABC News reported that the Trump administration instructed employees at the Department of Justice and the Department of Labor to set up automated out-of-office replies slamming Democrats for the legislative stalemate. Over at Education, however, employees had their accounts commandeered to send messages to that effect against their will.
CNN cited multiple sources who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation.
“It is compelled speech and feels like a setup,” one Education employee told CNN. Another said they felt “completely violated and concerned.”
An official for the department defended the messages.
“The email reminds those who reach out to Department of Education employees that we cannot respond because Senate Democrats are refusing to vote for a clean CR and fund the government,” Madi Biedermann, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications, said in a statement.
Some legal experts have suggested the emails and similarly politicized communications from government departments may violate the Hatch Act, which requires the federal government to function in a nonpartisan fashion.
“I have seen articles about agencies providing ‘suggested’ language, but what’s happening here is absolutely worse and scary,” one Education employee told CNN.
This week, some government websites featured messages blaming Democrats for the shutdown.
The government shut down on Wednesday after the Senate failed to agree on a funding package. Republicans control the chamber 53-47, but 60 votes are required to overcome a procedural hurdle to advance legislation. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has said Democrats will not provide the necessary votes unless Republicans agree to extend healthcare premium subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a., Obamacare. So far, Senate Republicans have not budged.
