During a Fox News Town Hall, 2020 presidential candidate Julián Castro on Thursday evening said his own Hatch Act violation in 2016 differed from those of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway because he recognized what he did wrong and did not repeat the mistake.
Context: When Castro was the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Obama administration, he advocated for Hillary Clinton in a 2016 interview with reporter Katie Couric. The Office of Special Counsel said in doing so he had violated the Hatch Act — which bars federal employees from engaging in political activity that could influence an election while operating in their official capacity — but Castro clarified during the interview that he was offering his personal opinion.
