A complaint sent to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel Tuesday alleged Scott violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity, because his agency receives federal dollars, and Scott was engaging in political activity while on duty and in uniform and using his position to sway an election. Erica S. Hamrick, senior attorney at the special counsel, said in an e-mail an investigation was being opened. Neither she nor her office could be reached for further comment Tuesday.
It is standard procedure for an agency to open an investigation when someone files a complaint. Scott said just because an investigation is initiated does not mean there is evidence of wrongdoing.
“When someone calls and makes a complaint, you don’t just say, ‘Well thanks for calling, but we’re not going to do anything about it,’” he said. “No, you open up an investigation. But I still stand by the fact that I did nothing wrong.”
