White House officials conducted 20 private briefings on Republican electoral prospects in the last midterm election for senior officials in at least 15 federal agencies, a White House spokesman and other administration officials said Wednesday. The previously undisclosed briefings were part of what appears to be a regular effort in which the White House sent senior political officials to brief top appointees on which seats GOP candidates might win or lose, and how the election outcomes could affect administration policies.

Such influence is prohibited under a federal law known as the Hatch Act, meant to insulate virtually all federal workers from partisan politics. In addition to forbidding workplace pressures meant to influence an election outcome, the law bars the use of federal resources – including office buildings, phones and computers – for partisan purposes.

Main Source: Washington Post