'Intolerable': Lawmaker rages at Trump for 'hijacking' agencies to send 'MAGA propaganda'
U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin blasted the Trump administration for using federal government websites and emails to display partisan messages to the American people, at times appearing to be from federal government civil service employees, and reportedly without their knowledge or consent.
Numerous federal websites, including the homepages of the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, all show partisan messages specifically blaming Democrats for the shutdown of the federal government.
Outgoing out-of-office auto-reply email messages at the Education Department and other government agencies also blamed Democrats for the shutdown. At the DOE, messages were inserted into emails and appeared as if the sender had written them, causing frustration among several civil service workers concerned about possibly appearing to violate the Hatch Act.
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“I have been contacted by numerous constituents outraged by the fact that the Trump Administration is now sending out blatantly partisan messages, both on official Websites and through emails from federal agencies,” Congressman Raskin, the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee, said in a statement on Thursday, calling the messages “Orwellian miscommunication” and an “intolerable abuse of power.”
“These official agency messages blame ‘Senate Democrats’ and the ‘Radical Left’ for the government shutdown.” He alleged that several taxpayer-funded agencies “are now being turned into MAGA propaganda organs.”
“Taxpayers cannot be forced to be a captive audience for propaganda against the Administration’s opponents every time they inquire about their benefits and rights,” Raskin continued. “Nor may an Administration grant itself a campaign contribution of free nationwide political ads by hijacking agency service messages.”
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