ASSOCIATED PRESS • December 7, 2020
The Hatch Act prevents federal employees from engaging in political work while performing their official duties. The agency charged with enforcing the act said that Peter Navarro, director of the White House Office for Trade and Manufacturing Policy, used his position to influence the 2020 presidential election through his statements in television interviews and on social media. He repeatedly violated the law during the campaign season with his criticisms of Joe Biden, now the president-elect. Navarro was the main White House figure in Trump’s 2020 outreach to Maine. During a June visit to the state, the Republican president said he would be the “lobster king” and his point person on the industry.