Trump HUD Appointee Lynne Patton Penalized For Violating Hatch Act
arrow Region 2 Regional Administrator Lynne Patton speaks to residents of the Queensbridge Houses, in New York, during a community town hall meeting in 2019. Kathy Willens/AP/Shutterstock
A former Trump appointee has admitted to violating a federal law by producing a video that aired during the Republican National Convention last year which boasted that conditions at the New York City Housing Authority had improved under the former president.
An investigation by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel found that Lynne Patton, who served as the Housing and Urban Development administrator for the New York and New Jersey region from 2017 to earlier this year, violated the Hatch Act, which limits political activities of federal government employees. The office determined that she leveraged relationships she forged during a month spent living in public housing as part of her job to recruit tenants f
Trump-Era Official Settles With OSC Over Hatch Act Violation
Lynne Patton, a former Trump administration appointee, reached a settlement with the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) after being accused of violating the Hatch Act, a law that bars public officials from using their position to engage in political activity.
Patton, who served as Region II Administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from 2017 to earlier this year, admitted to breaking the regulation by producing a video about housing conditions for the Republican National Convention (RNC), according to an OSC press release.
As a HUD employee, Patton met with residents of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and recruited some of them to appear in a video explaining how their living conditions had improved under the tenure of President Donald Trump.
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The Huffington Post, Patton made headlines in 2019 after she announced she would live in New York public housing for a month. The Office of Special Counsel said that’s where Patton recruited residents of the housing development to be featured in a video in support of Trump that would later be aired at the Republican National Convention.
“By using information and NYCHA connections available to her solely by virtue of her HUD position, Patton improperly harnessed the authority of her federal position to assist the Trump campaign in violation of the Hatch Act,” the Office explained in a statement.
In the settlement reached between the Office and Patton, the Trump appointee will have to pay $1,000.