I’m sorry, but this made me laugh out loud:
A wise reader wonders if the appearance of the PBS children’s-series character “Arthur†at a press conference with House Democrats runs afoul of the Hatch Act. …
If the “Arthur†is a federal employee, the Hatch Act permits federal employees to “attend and be active at political rallies and meetings,†so that would seem to cover it. But the Hatch Act also prohibits â€engaging in political activity while in official uniform.†Obviously, this provision is most frequently applied to military personnel.
This sounds like the kind of discussion I would get into with friends after a few drinks. It’s silly to ponder on one hand, but as Geraghty points out, it still represents a problem of taxpayer-funded employees being used to lobby for more taxpayer funds. It happens all the time.