GSA chief may face Hatch Act inquiry
The Federal Times reports: A series of charges leveled against the head of the General Services Administration could hinder her ability to lead the agency, procurement industry officials say.
Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., in a March 6 letter to GSA Administrator Lurita Doan, aired allegations that she illegally pressured staff to help Republican political candidates and intervened on behalf of a contractor in a dispute with the agency.
Waxman, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has scheduled a March 20 committee hearing to examine those allegations. ...
But Waxman’s letter raises new issues:
• Citing unidentified sources, the letter says Doan convened a January teleconference of her senior staff and 40 GSA political appointees to encourage the officials to help Republican candidates in the next election through public events such as the opening of new federal buildings. ...
GSA’s inspector general has referred the allegation to the Office of Special Counsel as a potential violation of the Hatch Act, which outlaws partisan campaign activity on federal property, the letter states. -- Federal Times