Senate Dems urge OSC to investigate whether Trump admin violated Hatch Act in redistricting push

Senate Democrats on Tuesday night asked the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) to launch a probe into whether the White House committed any Hatch Act violations in their push for redistricting in Texas and other red states.

The Hatch Act forbids government employees from engaging in political activity while on duty or in their official capacity as a federal employee. They also cannot solicit political contributions at any time, and cannot try to sway an election.

The letter, led by California Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla, points to President Donald Trump's remarks earlier this month regarding Texas' redistricting efforts, along with reporting that senior administration officials met with Texas House Republicans “to discuss a White House push to redraw its congressional map ahead of the midterms."

Padilla claimed Trump stated the "purpose of the effort is to draw new district lines where ‘I think we’ll get five’ Republican House seats to replace current Democratic members of Congress."

Texas Republicans on Wednesday released a congressional map proposal that would in fact create five new House seats in areas that Trump won in 2024.

“While the President may not be subject to the Hatch Act’s restrictions on political activities, his senior officials at the White House and the Department of Justice (DOJ) are subject to its legal requirements,” the letter read. “Multiple reports indicate that White House officials are involved in a political pressure campaign to convince Republicans in Texas and other states to redraw district lines with the goal of providing an advantage to the Republican party in the 2026 midterm elections.”

The senators also stated that Missouri lawmakers met with Trump officials at the White House about redistricting efforts that would disadvantage Missouri Democratic Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver next year. 

They additionally accused DOJ officials of violating the Hatch Act by sending letters to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton regarding the "legality" of four majority-minority districts being held by Democrats.

"We respectfully request that OSC investigate further whether senior White House and U.S. Department of Justice officials are violating federal law’s prohibitions on impermissible political activity," the senators concluded.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.