Social Security and IRS Emails Praising Trump Prompt Experts to Cite Possible Hatch Act Violation

Emails sent by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that praised President Donald Trump may violate the Hatch Act, experts said. One message from the SSA said that under Trump the agency is transforming into a model of excellence that meets and exceeds customer expectations for fast, accurate and secure service. Raw Story reported that the SSA sent the message to users of its services, and that experts were alarmed because it may be illegal. The articles do not say how many people received the emails or when they were sent, and they do not include a response from the agencies or the White House.

Left-leaning coverage, represented by Raw Story, leads with the alarm. Its headline says experts are sounding the alarm over a 'possibly illegal Trump love letter' from Social Security, a phrase that frames the email as political flattery. The text provided from that article contains only an author biography, so its sources and further detail are not visible. The Hill, an alternative outlet, reports the same core claim in more measured terms: its headline says the email 'may violate' the Hatch Act, and it adds that IRS emails were also involved and reproduces the SSA's praise. CNBC, also in the alternative group, takes a distinctly different angle, covering Senate races and Social Security's finances: trustees project the trust fund could be depleted in the fourth quarter of 2032, which could mean a 22% benefit cut. Right-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and alternative outlets had; those outlets focus on the possible Hatch Act violation and, in CNBC's case, on the program's future.