Prof. Painter's Op-Ed in Washington Post Suggests a New Law Prohibiting Partisan Political Activity

In an op-ed in the Washington Post, Professor Richard Painter stated, it is unlikely that the law was broken in either the Sestak or Romanoff discussions. The Romanoff incident was more problematic because White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina made the call, whereas President Clinton spoke to Sestak. Messina is bound by the Hatch Act. The Hatch Act, however, is very permissive in allowing partisan political activity by White House staff. Instead of wasting taxpayer money on investigations, GOP critics of the administration should focus on passing a law that prohibits partisan political activity by White House staff.