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Former Trump Aide and HUD Official Barred From Federal Employment for Violating Hatch Act
Former HUD official Lynne Patton with Donald Trump (Image: Twitter)
Yesterday, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) announced a settlement with Lynne Patton, the former Trump administration appointee who served as Region II Administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), where she admitted to violating the Hatch Act by using her position to produce a video about housing conditions for the Republican National Convention (RNC)..
“As a HUD employee, Patton received permission in early 2019 to temporarily live in and observe living conditions in the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). During her approximately one-month stay, Patton met residents and later leveraged one of these relationships to recruit participants to film a video that would air at the RNC. Patton wanted NYCHA residents to appear in the video to explain how their standard of living had im
Former Trump HUD official sanctioned over Hatch Act violations, barred from office for 4 years
Published
WASHINGTON - A former federal official admitted she abused her authority in a publicity stunt that tricked New York City public housing residents into sounding supportive of former President Donald Trump, ethics oversight officials said Tuesday.
The admission by Lynne Patton came as part of a civil settlement with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel that bars Patton from holding a federal job for four years and imposes a $1,000 fine.
Patton improperly harnessed the authority of her federal position to assist the Trump campaign in violation of the Hatch Act, said a statement released by the special counsel office.
Trump HUD Appointee Lynne Patton Penalized For Violating Hatch Act
arrow Region 2 Regional Administrator Lynne Patton speaks to residents of the Queensbridge Houses, in New York, during a community town hall meeting in 2019. Kathy Willens/AP/Shutterstock
A former Trump appointee has admitted to violating a federal law by producing a video that aired during the Republican National Convention last year which boasted that conditions at the New York City Housing Authority had improved under the former president.
An investigation by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel found that Lynne Patton, who served as the Housing and Urban Development administrator for the New York and New Jersey region from 2017 to earlier this year, violated the Hatch Act, which limits political activities of federal government employees. The office determined that she leveraged relationships she forged during a month spent living in public housing as part of her job to recruit tenants f
The Huffington Post, Patton made headlines in 2019 after she announced she would live in New York public housing for a month. The Office of Special Counsel said that’s where Patton recruited residents of the housing development to be featured in a video in support of Trump that would later be aired at the Republican National Convention.
“By using information and NYCHA connections available to her solely by virtue of her HUD position, Patton improperly harnessed the authority of her federal position to assist the Trump campaign in violation of the Hatch Act,” the Office explained in a statement.
In the settlement reached between the Office and Patton, the Trump appointee will have to pay $1,000.