Federal Workers Face Increased Scrutiny Over Email

File this under irony or hypocrisy. As questions continue to rage about partisan emails from high-ranking White House officials in the federal prosecutor firing scandal, an increasing number of lower-level federal employees are being investigated for sending politically oriented email messages to co-workers, reports CongressDaily. The US Office of Special Counsel (OSC) has seen “a surge in the number of complaints about federal employees sending politically oriented e-mails,” reports Jessica Brady in her April 11 story. “The OSC recorded 299 complaints last year,” reported Brady, “an all-time high for the independent investigative agency charged with enforcing the Hatch Act. The law bars federal employees from engaging in any political activity during work hours, which includes circulating petitions and campaigning.” However, notes Ward Morrow, Assistant General Counsel for the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employee union, the Hatch Act "was designed for serious violations of bringing partisanship into the workplace." Morrow told CongressDaily that the law was never intended to punish a more minor offense like forwarding a video clip or campaign Web site. "The law seems to be a very heavy-handed way of dealing with e-mail," Morrow said. "Congress needs to take up Hatch Act reform."