US Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro violated the law by publicly supporting President Joe Biden’s re-election and criticizing his primary opponent, Republican candidate Donald Trump, according to the press service of the US Special Prosecutor’s Office, an independent federal agency that oversees compliance with labor laws.
According to the department, Del Toro, speaking abroad on behalf of the department, said Americans would support Biden in November for re-election to a second term as “our commander in chief.” He thus violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits government officials other than the president and vice president from speaking in support of candidates in elections.
As Politico clarifies, Del Toro also criticized Trump. During the interview, he said that Trump has a suspicious attitude towards democracy.
“When someone doesn’t share these basic principles, the question is: are they worth supporting?” asked.
A few days later, the minister himself noted that he had been wrong in making such statements. He clarified that his response should have been more vague, without referring to specific candidates.
The US presidential election will be held on November 5. In the spring, the president had an unsuccessful debate with Trump, during which he periodically lost the thread of the conversation and seemed confused. Biden subsequently attributed his condition to fatigue and publicly refused to withdraw from the race. However, at the end of July he announced his withdrawal from the election. Instead, the Democratic candidate became the Kamala HarrisRBC recalls.
