Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) sought information on Tuesday regarding the Obama administration’s reported decision to reestablish the White House Office of Political Affairs (OPA) under a new name.
The Obama administration shut down the OPA more than three years ago following questions about whether it violated the Hatch Act, which prevents federal employees from engaging in political activities while on the job.
Earlier this year, however, the administration opened a new Office of Political Strategy and Outreach and said that it would operate in a more limited role than the previous incarnation, the Washington Times reports.
Issa, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said in a letter to White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough that taxpayers had a right to know if tax dollars were being used to support congressional campaigns.
“This committee has a bipartisan history of investigating the illegal use of taxpayer money to influence congressional elections,” Issa said.
Issa said that Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), the former chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, investigated the use of government resources by the White House for political purposes and recommended that the OPA be shut down.
White House Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler previously told the committee that the Office of Political Strategy and Outreach was established under consultation from the Office of Special Counsel. Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner allegedly contradicted Ruemmler’s claim in a letter to the committee.
“If the White House continues to withhold documents and information related to the reopening of the White House political office, I will have no alternative but to consider the use of compulsory process to obtain the requested documents,” Issa said.