An IRS employee has been suspended for illegally campaigning for President Obama on the IRS’ customer service help line.
The employee agreed to a 100-day suspension without pay after the U.S. Office of Special Counsel lodged a complaint against him for violating the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan election activity.
According to an OSC press release announcing the settlement, "when fielding taxpayers’ questions on an IRS customer service help line, the employee repeatedly urged taxpayers to reelect President Obama in 2012 by delivering a chant based on the spelling of the employee’s last name."
"In the settlement agreement resolving the complaint, the IRS employee acknowledged that he had used his authority and influence as an IRS customer service representative for a political purpose and did so while at work," the OSC said.
The identity of the IRS employee and the details of his pro-Obama chant were not released.