UPDATED 7:40 AM PT – Saturday, March 20, 2021
Marcia Fudge, Joe Biden’s secretary of Housing and Urban Development, was accused of violating the Hatch Act.
At her first White House press briefing on Thursday, Fudge was asked if she had an opinion on who might fill her seat in Congress now that her confirmation has been secured. While she did not comment on the outlook in her district, she did offer her support to two Democrats eyeing to flip the Senate seat of Ohio Sen. Rob Portman (R), who will be retiring in 2022.
Kamala Harris presided over the ceremonial swearing-in for Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge in the South Court Auditorium, next to the White House, in Washington, D.C. on March 10, 2021. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
“Oh absolutely, I have two friends who are thinking about it, Tim Ryan of course, I understand Anne Lilly is thinking about it,” Fudge said. “I mean, I think we’re going to put a good person in that race no matter who we choose, but they’re both friends. I think we have a good shot at it.”
The Hatch Act does not allow anyone but the president and his senior advisers to make politically opinionated remarks on federal property. As of Friday, neither the White House nor the Department of Housing and Urban Development had released a comment.
Original Story: HUD secretary accused of violating the Hatch Act