Viz., at what is still quaintly called the Department of Justice’s website:
Also from the executive branch: One of many helpful guides for federal employees concerning what constitutes improper partisan political activity on the job under the Hatch Act.
A standard trait of corruption is that it will not rest until everyone and everything is corrupt. And so federal employees have been instructed to lean into mass violations of the Hatch Act, down to the level of suggested “blame the Democrats” language for out-of-office emails. (Obviously, this is the sort of instruction that should simply be ignored.) It hardly need be said that political appointees, who are also subject to restrictions on political activity at work, are politicking like there’s no tomorrow. The general messaging appears to be at the behest and/or inspiration of the Office of Management and Budget, whose head, Russell Vought, serves in effect as Acting President in Charge of the Executive Branch much of the time.
Two of the primary agencies tasked with ensuring that the Hatch Act is followed are the U.S. Office of Special Counsel and the Office of Personnel Management. It is striking that the websites for both agencies use appropriately boring and impartial language to refer to the shutdown, noting a change in operations “due to a lapse in appropriations.” (Boring, it should be obvious, is a good thing for government; regardless of the party in charge, wanting government to be entertaining or fun is a terrible idea and of a piece with our ongoing civic and social degradation.) It is equally striking that some cabinet departments which have been more than happy to participate in Dear Leader idolatry also feature the boring message. Surrendering to the tyranny of low expectations, I say, good for them. I suppose the variation has to do with individual employees, webmasters, or cabinet secretaries (and their personal lawyers), but one imagines that which choice was made could, dazibao-style, reveal the current status of any office or official in the great dance of personalist-authoritarian court politics.
On tap to serve as head of the Office of Special Counsel: nominee Paul Ingrassia, pride of Cornell Law School (class of 2022), inevitable beneficiary of donor patronage via the Claremont Institute, Putin fanboy, conspiracy theorist, maker of jokes about October 7th, admirer of Andrew Tate (“the embodiment of the ancient ideal of excellence”), lover of martial law and hanging vice presidents, and soigne man-about-town. A nomination that calls to mind the president’s deathless words yesterday: “I was with the King of Saudi Arabia. A great guy.” No, sorry, I meant, “I’m a very aesthetic person, and I don’t like some of the ships you’re doing aesthetically.” Nope, wrong one. Ah: It was, “Everything is based on merit.” I wonder which website banner Ingrassia would have chosen.
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