Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro has apologized for comments he made to British reporters in January that the Office of the Special Trial Counsel found violated a prohibition in U.S. law that prevents federal employees from endorsing political candidates during their official duties.
“The Office of Special Counsel has determined that certain statements I made abroad in January of this year violated the Hatch Act. I apologize for these statements and have learned from this experience. I have personally received additional Hatch Act training, and have directed additional training for my staff,” reads the statement provided to USNI News.
According to the OSC, Del Toro violated the Hatch Act during a trip to the United Kingdom, USNI News previously reported. During two interviews with the BBC, Del Toro endorsed President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, for a second term while warning viewers against a second Donald Trump term.
“We cannot afford to have a president who aligns himself with autocratic dictators and rulers whose interpretation of democratic principles is suspicious [at] best. And who, quite frankly, confuses presidential candidates with our former speaker of the house, for that matter. And so 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 the first BBC interview, according to the report.
The OSC report argues that Del Toro violated the Hatch Act because he traveled to the U.K. and participated in the BBC interviews in his official position as the secretary of the Navy. Del Toro, who reported his comments to OSC, argued that he was not in an official position when making the comments and that because it was a non-American interview, the audience would likely not be Americans.
On Saturday, Del Toro’s attorney Michael Bromwich said he and his client have yet to hear back from the White House on any consequences of the comments. Hatch Act violations could result in fines, letters of reprimand, suspension, termination or bans from federal service, according to the OSC.
Bromwich told USNI News that Del Toro is not contesting the violations and his apology.
“He’s not fighting it. He’s taken additional training and he’s doing the right thing,” Bromwich said.
“He wants to put it behind him.”
OSC findings follow a July Department of the Navy-wide guidance on political activity, which Del Toro alluded to in his statement.
“I take responsibility for my statements. I hope this episode serves as a reminder, to every sailor, Marine, and civilian employee that the Department of the Navy is an apolitical organization. Conducting ourselves consistent with that apolitical standard is paramount in maintaining the trust and confidence of the American people,” he said in the statement to USNI News.
