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Kobach faces complaint stemming from Trump’s election commission

by Olivia Beavers - 07/03/17 10:37 PM ET

A legal group filed a complaint Monday asking the Justice Department to investigate whether Kris Kobach, the vice chairman of President Trump’s voter fraud panel, violated federal law when his 2018 campaign for Kansas governor highlighted his role on the commission.

The complaint by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law points to multiple alleged violations under the Hatch Act, a law enacted in 1939 that prevents government employees from giving an outright endorsement to political candidates.

The legal group asserts that Kobach improperly used his high-level position on Trump’s Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity to promote his gubernatorial campaign on social media.

CNN highlighted the complaint on Monday.

BREAKING: We filed complaint today alleging Kris Kobach violated Hatch Act by using work w/ sham Pence-Kobach Comm. to promote his candidacy

— Kristen Clarke (@KristenClarkeJD) July 3, 2017

Kris Kobach prominently used his position as head of sham Commission to promote his candidacy & solicit campaign funds in run for Governor.

— Kristen Clarke (@KristenClarkeJD) July 3, 2017

“Kris Kobach, a special government employee, is subject to the Hatch Act because of his role with the Commission,” the complaint reads. “Kobach prominently used his position as Vice Chair of the Commission to promote his candidacy and to solicit campaign funds.”

{mosads}The group then lays out examples of such violations including “interviews with Fox News and MSNBC.”

Kobach’s Kansas office denied the violations in a response to CNN, slamming the legal group for “trying to create a story.”

“We are certain that no Hatch Act violations have occurred,” said Kobach’s spokeswoman, Samantha Poetter. “This is nothing but a bunch of liberal lawyers trying to create a story.”

Trump created the panel in May with an executive order after making the baseless claim that there were millions illegally casted votes for his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.

The panel sent letters last week to the 50 secretaries of state across the country requesting information about voters, with many refusing to cooperate.

Tags Hillary Clinton