LEGAL/NIKKI HALEY/UN: “U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley violated the law by retweeting President Donald Trump’s endorsement of a South Carolina congressional candidate, according to the Office of Special Counsel.
Haley’s June Twitter post from her personal account marks the second time this year that a top Trump aide has run afoul of the Hatch Act, a Depression-era law that regulates campaigning by government officials…
Haley’s personal page at the time of the post included an official government headshot with the American flag behind her, as well as a picture at the White House with Trump and other members of the U.N. Security Council. Many of Haley’s Twitter posts also covered official matters, and the official homepage of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations included a link back to her personal Twitter account, wrote Erica Hamrick, the deputy chief of the Office of Special Council’s Hatch Act Unit, in a September 28 letter to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, the government watchdog that first flagged the tweet.
Haley has since deleted her June 19 retweet after she became aware of the potential violation, and the Office of Special Counsel said it found no evidence she engaged in any additional prohibited political activity on Twitter. Haley will not face any penalties over the retweet, and Hamrick said she had closed Haley’s file.”
-Darren Samuelsohn, “Nikki Haley hit for Hatch Act violation over Trump retweet,” Politico, Oct. 3, 2017 02:01pm