Brian Fitzpatrick
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The local race for the Eighth Congressional District is drawing national attention.
According to a report from national outlet Politico, unnamed Bucks County Republicans told a reporter retiring Republican Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick of Levittown made calls on behalf of his brother, Brian Fitzpatrick, while his sibling was still employed as an FBI special agent. The story states the calls may have violated the Hatch Act.
“Mike was saying to people: ‘my brother is looking at it. Wouldn’t Brian earn some of your consideration and support even though he can’t voice it?,’” one Republican recounted to Politico.
PoliticsPA.com reported the following on Friday:
Under the Hatch Act, federal employees are prohibited from any “preliminary activities regarding candidacy”.
“The Hatch Act is a prohibition not only on formal candidacy, but on pre-campaign activities,” former FEC general counsel Larry Noble said. “”Even if [Mike Fitzpatrick] was doing it of his own accord, it at least reflects the fact that the brother who is running now was thinking about running and was taking preliminary steps…Any steps would be in violation of the Hatch Act, and it’s hard to imagine a situation where your brother would be soliciting support if you hadn’t done something to prompt that.”
On Friday afternoon, Brian Fitzpatrick spokesperson Linda Mannherz issued the following statement to LevittownNow.com:
These unfounded and anonymous accusations are just more dirty tricks from a political machine threatened by Brian Fitzpatrick, a former FBI Special Agent and federal prosecutor, whose candidacy is focused on changing the status quo.
With a dirty trick website against Brian Fitzpatrick being the subject of a Federal Election Commission complaint this week, attacks like these are why people are disenchanted with the political process.
Brian has an unblemished FBI record protecting our country. He is calling for a Civility Pledge for all candidates. These dirty tricks need to stop. Voters demand better.
“If the troubling allegations are true, and Mike Fitzpatrick was indeed making illegal calls on his brother’s behalf while Brian Fitzpatrick was still living in California and working for the Federal Government, that would have been a clear violation of the Hatch Act. If true, that would raise serious questions for which the public should demand answers. No one should be above the law,” said Eric Goldman, campaign manager for Democrat State Rep. Steve Santarsiero’s congressional bid.
