EXCLUSIVE — Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) is asking Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Vice President Kamala Harris over comments she made at a Washington, D.C., press conference.
In a Wednesday letter sent to Garland and shared with the Washington Examiner, Mills accused Harris of possibly violating the Hatch Act, which prohibits “using official resources to support partisan political campaigns,” due to her “vicious political attacks” against former President Donald Trump.
The Florida Republican took specific issue with a statement Harris concluded with when she said, “We know what Donald Trump wants. He wants unchecked power. The question, in 13 days, will be what do the American people want?”
Harris held a short press conference from the vice president’s residence, mainly reacting to reporting from the Atlantic that alleged Trump wished he had generals “like Adolf Hitler had,” among other details.
While the Hatch Act protects the president or vice president from violations of civil provisions, Mills said it doesn’t apply to criminal provisions.
“In Federal law it is a crime for any federal officer or employee to ‘use his official authority for the purpose of interfering with, or affecting, the nomination or the election of any candidate for the office of President, Vice President, Presidential elector, Member of the Senate, Member of the House of Representatives,’” the letter said.
“Recognizing this concern and as Attorney General, you issued a strict prohibition to your
political appointees from participating in campaign-related activities in any capacity,” Mills wrote to Garland. “As Attorney General you answer to the President, but your oath is to the Constitution and the laws of the United States. I ask that you investigate today’s question-less ‘press conference’ as it appears to be a direct use of official authority to affect the upcoming election. Given the proximity to the election, the American people deserve timely answers.”
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Election Day is less than two weeks away. Neither Harris nor Trump have decisive leads in the polls, and both have resorted to attacking each other and campaigning in swing states to gain an edge.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Department of Justice and the White House regarding Mills’s letter but did not receive a response.