There is a deadline of 6 p.m. on Wednesday for two Republican Senate candidates to resign from their positions on a presidential council or face being impeached by the White House.
A year after their appointments, Republicans Herschel Walker and Mehmet Oz are running for the Senate.
A spokesperson for the White House told CNN that council members are “special government employees” who “cannot stand as a candidate in party elections” while undertaking official government activity.
According to CNN, the members of the presidential council are government officials with specific rights and privileges. Candidates for public office in a partisan election are prohibited by the Hatch Act.
WNBA star Elena Delle Donne and chef-philanthropist José Andrés will be co-chairs of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, the White House announced Wednesday.
The Hatch Act
A federal law passed in the United States in 1939 called “The Hatch Act,” which was intended to curb “pernicious political activity.”
There is a primary clause that prevents federal government civil service employees from engaging in some forms of political action, except for the president and vice president.
What Will Happen To Mehmet Oz and Herschel Walker?
According to 5 CFR 734.601, of the Hatch Act, they are not prohibited from running for office because they were assigned to a volunteer post on a commission.
The regulations state that an employee who serves on a special commission or task force may run for office as a partisan political candidate, but may only do so when off the clock.
Campaigning while on the job is prohibited for them to run for partisan office.
