OPINION:
The Office of Special Counsel has announced that Black Lives Matter signs and other paraphernalia do not violate the Hatch Act, which bans political activities and fundraising in the federal workplace (“Federal employees can support Black Lives Matter on the job, Office of Special Counsel rules,” Web, July 13). Part of the rationale is that the OSC had the same view regarding the tea party movement. I retired from the federal government in 2019 and do not recall ever seeing anything supporting the tea party at work. Part of my job was inspecting my civilian agency’s subdivisions for Hatch Act compliance.
While I do not know where donations to the tea party went, donations to the largest BLM organization, the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, started in 2013, go to support Democratic candidates — to the tune of more than $500 million. A donate button on the BLM website takes you to ActBlue Charities. Thus, a donation to BLM ends up going to the Biden campaign, other Democrats and the Democratic Party by means of intermediaries. This is the very thing the Hatch Act is supposed to prevent. It is a subterfuge.
Besides the above, this will create turmoil in the federal workplace as other signs will appear, such as: “All Lives Matter” and “Blue Lives Matter.” Any employee who feels retaliation for supporting or not supporting one of the above movements will have a grievance. Imagine if one’s supervisor does not like their poster. Talk about the makings of a hostile work environment.
WAYNE L. JOHNSON
Alexandria, Va.
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