Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro warned Navy personnel against engaging in political activity just a day before he was found to have violated federal law by voicing his support for President Joe Biden over other potential candidates, The Daily Wire has learned.
Del Toro’s support of Biden was found to have “crossed a legal line” in violation of the Hatch Act, a federal law that bars federal employees from engaging in political activities while participating in work duties, during a taxpayer-funded trip to the United Kingdom in January, the Office of the Special Counsel said this week.
Just one day before it was revealed that Del Toro violated the law, he sent out an unclassified document to Navy personnel, personally warning them against engaging in political activity. The guidance sent out to Navy sailors, obtained by The Daily Wire, is titled “Guidance on Political Activities of DON Personnel,” and includes a warning to personnel from Del Toro himself.
“Now that the 2024 election season is upon us, it is more important than ever for us to remember that the DON is an apolitical body and our members cannot participate in activities that could appear to imply sponsorship, approval, or endorsement of a political candidate, campaign, or cause,” a quote from Del Toro reads. “Public trust and confidence depend on this.”
When he sent the guidance, Del Toro was just one day away from being cited for engaging in partisan activity himself.
“When speaking in his official capacity on a taxpayer-funded trip, Secretary Del Toro encouraged electoral support for one candidate over another in the upcoming presidential election,” Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger noted this week. “By doing so, he crossed a legal line and violated the Hatch Act.”
“Rules for thee but not for me is the unofficial slogan of the woke Biden-Harris DOD. Secretary Del Toro is correct that ‘public trust and confidence’ depend on an apolitical military,” Rep. Jim Banks, Chairman of the Anti-Woke Caucus, told The Daily Wire. “That’s why trust in our military has dropped to an all-time low under Kamala Harris and Joe Biden.”
The Office of Special Counsel explained that Del Toro violated the Hatch Act while partaking in interviews while on the trip.
“I’m confident that the American people will step up to the plate come November and support President Biden for a second term as our Commander-in-Chief, so that we can continue to work together as free democratic countries respect each other around the globe,” Del Toro said in response to one interview question.
“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,” the Office of Special Counsel report explains.
The Biden-Harris administration has consistently worked to embed their ideology throughout the military and our national security institutions, namely through the implementation of leftwing diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, as a series of investigations from The Daily Wire has revealed.
