First appeared on FOX: Two Republican attorneys general are filing a report alleging that Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona violated the Hatch Act in connection with recent comments about President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan.
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach sent a letter to special counsel in the Hatch Act unit on Wednesday informing them that their office and Cardona’s comments “appear to violate the Hatch Act because, among other things, the comments were partisan political statements made while working in their respective official capacities and the statements were made with the explicit purpose of influencing the outcome of the 2024 Presidential election.”
“The violations are egregious and should result in substantial penalties,” the attorneys general wrote.
The Hatch Act is a federal law that restricts the political activities of federal employees.
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Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)
Knudsen and Kobach argue that “just 10 days after the Supreme Court’s rebuke” of President Biden’s student loan debt relief plan, the Department of Education “finalized a plan to eliminate at least $156 billion in student loan debt, with great fanfare from President Biden and Vice President Harris.”
The Supreme Court last year struck down Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan, ruling that the administration exceeded its authority in trying to wipe out $400 billion in debt.
“The timing of the Biden-Harris Administration’s debt cancellation plan makes it clear that it is a pretext. The first round of debt relief was rushed into place in time for the 2022 elections as a clear ploy to boost partisan turnout and, essentially, buy votes with federal funds,” the attorneys general wrote in the letter.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach (AP Photo/John Hanna/File)
“This second round of debt forgiveness, in a remarkable coincidence, was also scheduled to take effect just before the 2024 elections,” they said.
Knudsen and Kobach said the letter, sent by Cardona on official government letterhead, violates the Hatch Act.
“Mr. Biden and I are committed to building on our respective efforts to lower costs for student loan borrowers, make student loan repayment affordable and realistic, and provide relief to 4.75 million Americans already, no matter how many times Republican elected officials try to block it,” Cardona said in the July 15 letter.
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President Biden spoke about student loan debt at the University of Madison in Madison, Wisconsin, on April 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci/File)
“While we oppose Republican elected officials siding with special interests to block affordability in student loan repayment, President Biden and his administration will not stop fighting to ensure Americans have affordable access to the life-changing opportunities that higher education can provide,” Cardona wrote.
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According to Knudsen and Kobach, “both comments appear to violate the Hatch Act and both are blatant attacks on state elected officials based on party affiliation.”
The attorney general said Cardona “knowingly chose to use government resources for political activities, including to influence the upcoming presidential election, and his repeated and egregious violations of the Hatch Act warrant severe penalties.”
“The statement is a factually accurate description of the litigation and is intended to address potential confusion for borrowers about the status of their loans following the court’s decision, and does not violate the Hatch Act,” a Department of Education spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
