WASHINGTON D.C. (KEYT) – On Monday, California Senator Alex Padilla demanded an update on a federal investigation of alleged Hatch Act violations by the Trump Administration opened earlier this year.
"On July 29, 2025, four U.S. Senators wrote to request U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) investigate senior White House and Trump Administration officials for potential violations of the Hatch Act by engaging in partisan political activities while on official duty," opened Monday's letter to the Office of Special Counsel and the Office of White House Counsel. "Since that letter of July 29, there has been a steady stream of new evidence of ongoing engagement by senior White House staff in partisan political activities related to redistricting. The situation has escalated to such a level that the Office of Special Counsel and the Office of White House Counsel must take immediate action to ensure that senior
Trump Administration officials cease this apparently illegal behavior."
Monday's letter then detailed a series of alleged violations of The Hatch Act of 1939, a federal law that limits all federal employees -except the President and Vice President- from engaging in partisan activities directed at the success or failure of a political party according to the Office of Special Counsel.
Since the initial request for an investigation in late July of this year, efforts by federal employees connected to mid-decade redistricting efforts nationwide may have also violated the federal prohibition of those partisan actions argued Senator Padilla.
"White House senior officials and others in the Trump Administration have been clearly and openly engaged in a political campaign to gain seats for the Republican Party in Congress via a rare and controversial mid-decade redistricting efforts in Texas and many other states," Senator Padilla wrote to executive branch counsel offices.
Monday's letter then cited actions by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to search for Texas legislators refusing to participate in proceedings to alter the state's congressional districts and a pressure campaign targeting multiple state legislators in Indiana to redraw the Hoosier state's Congressional boundaries before next year's election cycle.
"I refused (the invitation), but the underling who reached out to me is trying to influence the election on my dime," detailed one Indiana State Senator about the redistricting campaign. "That individual works for me. He works for you. He’s on my payroll, he’s on your payroll, and he’s campaigning on company time. That’s a violation of the Hatch Act. He’s a federal employee. He works in the White House. But does anyone care about the rules anymore? Not that I can tell."
The same state legislator went on to explain he would have reported the alleged violations of federal law if he believed there was, "anyone of integrity in Washington that would follow through on my accusation."
According to reporting from Democracy Docket, Adam Kincaid, the director of