Several Trump administration officials, including White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and White House Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing Peter Navarro appear to have violated the Hatch Act by making partisan statements about New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s campaign in their official capacities, according to a CREW complaint filed today with the Office of Special Counsel.

On June 30, 2025, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt held a press briefing in which she answered questions about current mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, stating that President Trump “certainly […] does not want this individual to be elected” due to Mamdani’s “radical policies that will completely crush New York.” 

On several occasions, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has pejoratively characterized current mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani while speaking in his official capacity. During an interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business on September 24, 2025, Bessent called Mamdani an “American Peronist” while responding to a question about the administration’s support for Argentina’s economic reforms, and said that if elected, “New York City will be coming to the federal government for the bailout if the Mamdani plans are implemented.” 

In addition to Leavitt and Bessent, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made comments during a television interview in her official capacity, including saying that “[i]f [Mamdani] were elected, New York City would be a train wreck and those poor families would have nowhere to go for help.” White House Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing Peter Navarro has also posted numerous criticisms of Mamdani on his X account, which prominently identifies him by his government title.

The Hatch Act prohibits any executive branch employee from “us[ing their] official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election.” In Trump’s second term, CREW has already filed a Hatch Act complaint against Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick for similarly partisan comments made about Mamdani. In addition, other unnamed executive branch officials who operate White House social media have reposted statements from President Trump concerning the outcome of the New York City mayoral race, which could also constitute Hatch Act violations. 

“The Trump administration seems to believe there is a Mamdani-specific exception to the Hatch Act,” said CREW Executive Director and Chief Counsel Donald Sherman. “No such exception exists, and executive branch officials shouldn’t be exploiting their government positions for partisan political gain. This conduct is in clear violation of federal law, and they should be held accountable.”

During President Biden’s term, CREW also brought a complaint against Biden administration official Jen Psaki, resulting in OSC finding that she violated the Hatch Act. In Trump’s first term, CREW’s Hatch Act complaints led to OSC finding that a significant number of Trump administration officials had violated the Hatch Act, including former senior counselor Kellyanne Conway, whom OSC recommended be removed from federal service due to her multiple Hatch Act violations.

Read the complaint here.

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