The US military should be defending our great nation. Instead, they’re making backroom deals.
And now the US Navy Secretary’s shocking accusation completely stuns the Pentagon.
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro found himself entangled in political controversy earlier this year when he turned a diplomatic trip to Britain into an opportunity to campaign for President Biden and criticize former President Donald Trump—a move that has now been deemed a violation of the Hatch Act by the government’s Office of Special Counsel (OSC).
During an interview with the BBC, Del Toro took a swipe at Trump, stating that he wasn’t in line with America’s “core principles,” while simultaneously lauding President Biden, claiming NATO would falter without Biden’s so-called “mature leadership.”
He didn’t stop there. Del Toro further slammed Trump, saying the former president “aligns himself with autocratic dictators.”
The OSC didn’t take these comments lightly. It recommended that President Biden reprimand Del Toro, pointing out that, despite self-reporting, the Navy secretary has shown a surprising level of defiance, refusing to admit that he crossed the line.
“Secretary Del Toro’s statements with overt reference to the election conveyed electoral support for one candidate and opposition to another candidate, and thus, constituted political activity,” special counsel Hampton Dellinger wrote to Biden.
Del Toro’s remarks were a blatant violation of the Hatch Act, a federal law designed to prevent the dangerous mixture of politics with government work.
The OSC is tasked with policing these kinds of violations, and endorsing or opposing a political candidate while in office is one of the most egregious breaches of the act.
In typical fashion, Del Toro tried to defend his remarks as just the routine kind of support a national security official gives to the president. His lawyer, Michael R. Bromwich, claimed the comments were merely “fragments of answers” to questions from foreign reporters.
The lawyer even went so far as to suggest that since none of the BBC audience could vote in U.S. elections, the comments didn’t really matter.
That excuse, however, holds little weight. The Hatch Act isn’t about who hears the comments but about maintaining the separation between politics and public service—a principle Del Toro and his lawyer conveniently brushed aside.
Bromwich also argued that Del Toro faced a tough choice, claiming that not answering the reporters’ questions might have made him look unsupportive of Biden, which, in his view, would have caused “embarrassment” on the world stage.
But this rationale exposes Del Toro’s political motivations rather than offering a valid defense.
Special counsel Dellinger wasn’t buying it. He pointed to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s repeated calls for employees to steer clear of political activity, emphasizing the importance of maintaining professionalism, especially in positions like Del Toro’s, which require Senate confirmation.
Ironically, Del Toro himself issued a Hatch Act warning to Navy employees in July, making his own violation even more hypocritical.
The Pentagon is now reviewing the OSC report, but Del Toro’s actions have already cast doubt on the Biden administration’s supposed commitment to keeping politics out of public service.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh reiterated the need for government officials to remain apolitical, saying it’s crucial for public trust. Yet, Del Toro’s political meddling makes that statement ring hollow.
In a twist of irony, during the infamous BBC interview, Del Toro was defending Biden’s fitness to serve when he declared the president was “as sound as anyone that I know.”
Just six months later, Biden would drop out of the presidential race due to growing concerns over his health. Del Toro’s words, much like his actions, haven’t aged well.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
