Attorney General Todd Blanche faces a Hatch Act complaint from Public Citizen over his part in an Aug. 14 event in Garden City, N.Y., where President Trump endorsed Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman for governor. The Blanche Hatch Act complaint, filed with the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) days after the event, argues that the nation’s top law enforcement officer is barred from campaigning at all.
Where it stands: OSC told Government Executive in August that it had no comment, and no finding had been announced by Oct. 28. Blanche is accused, not found in violation.
The Justice Department rejects the complaint in strong terms. A spokesperson told Government Executive: “This is a politically-motivated complaint designed to weaponize the Hatch Act against the Attorney General for his support of law enforcement. The complaint is baseless.” A Blanche representative told The New York Times that DOJ ethics officials review and approve his political appearances and that he makes them in a personal capacity.
What happened at the Garden City event?
Trump used an afternoon appearance at the Nassau County Police Academy to back Blakeman, the Republican nominee against Gov. Kathy Hochul. WAMC reported that “Trump and top Justice Department officials announced new crime statistics and denounced New York’s new immigration law during an afternoon rally at the Nassau County Police Academy,” and quoted Trump: “We have to get Bruce into office.”
WAMC’s story does not name the Justice Department officials. Government Executive identified Blanche as a speaker, describing “an Aug. 14 speech” he gave at the rally, and the Times reported in October: “This summer, Attorney General Todd Blanche boasted about the drop in federal crime while stumping for the Republican candidate for New York governor at a rally headlined by President Trump.” Government Executive also noted the timing: “Now, just one week after he was sworn in, a public interest nonprofit is alleging that Blanche has already violated an ethics law that governs the political activities of federal employees.”
What does the Blanche Hatch Act complaint argue?
Public Citizen makes two arguments: that an attorney general may not campaign at all, and that Blanche was presented in his official role. Its release says the Hatch Act puts the attorney general in the “further restricted” category, so that it is “illegal for those employees to take an active part in partisan political campaigns.” Government Executive described the group’s basis more narrowly, reporting that Public Citizen placed Blanche in that category “under DOJ policy.”
The group concedes he did not ask anyone to vote for Blakeman. Its lobbyist Craig Holman wrote: “Though Blanche did not specifically say ‘vote for,’ his participation in the campaign rally along with President Donald Trump constitutes an active endorsement of the Republican candidate.” On the second point, “The organization said that Blanche was identified at the rally as the attorney general.” Holman also called on OSC to act, saying “The Office of the Special Counsel should immediately investigate this egregious violation of the Hatch Act.” Those are Public Citizen’s words, not a finding.
Is the attorney general a “further restricted” employee?
The statute and DOJ policy point in different directions, and no ruling has settled how they apply to Blanche. The Hatch Act’s stricter tier covers certain agencies and offices, but its text exempts Senate-confirmed appointees. For DOJ, it reads: “(3) No employee of the Criminal Division or National Security Division of the Department of Justice (except one appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate), may take an active part in political management or political campaigns.”
Department policy has gone further for some officials. The election-year memo the attorney general sent all DOJ staff in June 2024 listed, among staff subject to extra off-duty limits, “non-career appointees in the Department.” The memo does not say whether that line reaches the attorney general, and the current department says Blanche’s appearances were cleared by its ethics officials. An internal policy is enforced by the department, while OSC enforces the statute.
Whatever tier applies, one rule binds every covered official. No employee may “use his official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election;” the core bar found in section 7323(a)(1). That is the provision behind the complaint’s point that Blanche was introduced as attorney general. For the general rule on disclaimers, see our personal capacity explainer.
| Appearance | Criticism | DOJ response |
|---|---|---|
| Aug. 14, Garden City rally | Public Citizen complaint to OSC | Politically motivated, baseless |
| GOP midterm convention | House Judiciary Democrats’ post | Personal capacity, ethics-approved |
| Oct. 12 Omar search | DDF complaint names Blanche | Timing within department policy |
What other Blanche appearances have drawn objections?
His speech to the Republican Party’s midterm convention, reported by Government Executive in mid-September, drew a public warning from House Judiciary Committee Democrats, who posted beforehand: “The nation’s chief law enforcement officer will be violating federal law on national TV in front of the entire country.” Per Government Executive, “An X account for the Justice Department replied that Blanche’s appearance did not run afoul of the Hatch Act because it was in his personal, rather than official, capacity and had been approved by ethics officials.” We found no formal complaint over that speech.
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The watchdog group CREW also cited the Long Island event in an Aug. 20 letter to OSC about stalled cases; Government Executive wrote that “Sherman pointed to Attorney General Todd Blanche’s appearance at a campaign rally for a Republican running for New York governor.” Separately, Democracy Defenders Fund named Blanche in an Oct. 13 complaint over federal agents’ Oct. 12 search at Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar’s residence in Washington, D.C., a matter covered in our report on that complaint; DOJ says the search timing was consistent with department policy.
Why does the Justice Department get extra scrutiny?
Because its decisions can touch candidates directly, DOJ has long told its staff to keep politics out of casework. The 2024 memo states: “Simply put, partisan politics must play no role in the decisions of federal investigators or prosecutors regarding any investigations or criminal charges.” Those rules govern case decisions, not speeches, and the memo was written under the prior administration; how both sides invoke that policy in 2026 is covered in our piece on DOJ election-year policy.
Russell Riley, who the Miller Center says “is the White Burkett Miller Center Professor of Ethics and Institutions” at the University of Virginia, has argued the stakes differ by agency. In a passage the Miller Center excerpts from The Atlantic, he said a political figure at other departments “does not have the same gravity and the same consequences as it does if you have a highly political person in the Justice Department.” That is one scholar’s view; DOJ maintains that Blanche’s campaign appearances are personal and ethics-cleared.
The latest on record is the department’s statement to the Times, published Oct. 28, through a Blanche representative, that department ethics officials review and clear his political appearances.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which group accused Todd Blanche of a Hatch Act violation?
Public Citizen, a public interest nonprofit. In August 2026 it asked the Office of Special Counsel to look into his role at the Garden City, N.Y., event where Trump endorsed Bruce Blakeman.
Did Todd Blanche violate the Hatch Act?
That has not been determined. DOJ calls the complaint baseless and says ethics officials cleared his personal appearances, and through Oct. 28, 2026, OSC had issued nothing on it.
Can the attorney general campaign for candidates?
It is disputed. The Hatch Act exempts Senate-confirmed appointees from its strictest tier, but Public Citizen cites DOJ policy that it says bars the attorney general from campaigning. All officials are barred from using their office to affect an election.
Who is Bruce Blakeman?
The Nassau County executive and the Republican nominee for governor of New York, running against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul in the Nov. 3, 2026 election.
What happens if OSC finds a violation by the attorney general?
For a Senate-confirmed official, OSC sends its report to the President, who decides whether any discipline follows.
Sources
- Attorney general violated Hatch Act ethics rules, nonprofit says — Government Executive, August 18, 2026
- New Complaint Alleges Blanche Violated Hatch Act — Public Citizen (press release), August 2026
- Trump endorses Blakeman for NY governor, saying Hochul is soft on crime — WAMC / New York Public News Network, August 14, 2026
- Cabinet Officials on the Campaign Trail? Ethics Experts Say Some Are Breaking the Law. — The New York Times, October 28, 2026
- Hatch Act complaints against Trump officials continue to pile up as investigations go on for nearly a year — Government Executive, September 14, 2026
- ‘Glaring violations’ of the Hatch Act by senior Trump officials have gone unpunished for months, good government group alleges — Government Executive, August 21, 2026
- 5 U.S.C. Chapter 73, Subchapter III: Political Activities — U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo), 2023 edition
- Memorandum for All Department Employees: Election Year Sensitivities — U.S. Department of Justice, June 24, 2024
- Russell Riley — Miller Center, University of Virginia, retrieved October 28, 2026
This article is news reporting and analysis based on the public sources listed above, as they stood on the dates shown. Where officials, lawmakers or analysts disagree, including on whether an action is lawful, their positions are attributed to them; Donald Trump Class Action is not a court and nothing here is legal advice. Facts in a developing story can change.