The hacker who beamed AI-generated images of President Donald Trump kissing Elon Musk's feet onto federal computers was working during taxpayer-funded union time, according to the New York Post.
The person behind the stunt at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was identified earlier this year as a high-ranking union official. However, their name has not been revealed as the matter is still under investigation.
The official was working for the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 476, a whistleblower, who has not been identified, told Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst.
“Reports of union bosses playing childish games and illegally engaging in partisan political activity while on the taxpayers’ dime are the latest in a string of concerning allegations against HUD employees in recent years,” the senator told the paper. “From bureaucrats relaxing on the beach or sitting in a jail cell while on the clock, the agency has been the poster child for why taxpayer-funded union time needs to end.”
On Thursday, the president of AFGE Local 476, Dr. Ashaki Robinson, said the union “unequivocally denies any involvement in the production or dissemination of the AI video featuring President Trump and Elon Musk.”
This “baseless allegation is another transparent attempt to attack and retaliate against AFGE for engaging [in] lawful activity to advocate for our members and federal employees nationwide,” Robinson added to the Post. “Official time amounts are negotiated and determined by both the agency and the union, and by law can only be used for employee representational matters, not for political purposes or internal union business.”
Ernst, the leader of the Senate DOGE caucus, shared the allegations from the whistleblower in a letter sent on Thursday to Housing Secretary Scott Turner.
“This improper access to the HUD computer system was not only childish and unprofessional, but also potentially illegal,” Ernst said in the letter obtained by the paper.
The AI-generated clip of Trump kissing Musk’s feet played on TVs in a cafeteria at the department, and included the message: “Long live the real king.”
The incident occurred earlier this year at the peak of criticism against Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency.
A spokesperson for the Department of Housing and Urban Development told the Post that it is “exploring how to reform the expansive and oftentimes abused flexibility inherent in taxpayer-funded union time.”
“It is egregious [that] the American taxpayer is on the hook for subsidizing the paychecks of union workers while these nefarious actions take place,” the spokesperson added. “The Department will continue to work with leaders like Senator Ernst to return HUD to its mission-minded focus and stop the wasteful abuse of taxpayer dollars.”
Ernst has previously criticized union time funded by taxpayers. As it stands, government employees are permitted to participate in labor activities during working hours. While government unions cannot negotiate pay and benefits, which are set by law, they can negotiate workplace issues.
The senator has requested data on taxpayer-funded union time from 24 agencies, and has advocated for legislation to end it.
The Office of Personnel Management found that in 2019, $135 million had been used for taxpayer-funded union time.
Federal workers can engage in policy advocacy; however, the Hatch Act states that staffers in the executive branch cannot participate in rallies or ask for donations for political campaigns during working hours.
The 19-second video of Trump kissing Musk’s feet appeared on HUD screens in February on the day that federal workers were ordered back to the office after an executive order ended the practice of working from home.
The video played on a loop for five minutes on screens in the building, journalist Maria Kabas reported at the time.
“Building staff couldn’t figure out how to turn it off so sent people to every floor to unplug TVs,” said Kabas, citing an anonymous source at the agency.
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