Blumenthal Calls for Investigation into Anthony D'Esposito for Potential Hatch Act

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today called for an investigation into Anthony D’Esposito, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), for potentially violating the Hatch Act. Following recent reporting that D’Esposito intends to seek the Republican nomination for his previously held Congressional seat, Blumenthal wrote today to Acting Special Counsel Jamieson Greer, raising concerns that D’Esposito is running for political office despite continuing to serve as DOL Inspector General.

“As you know, Mr. D’Esposito was confirmed to be Inspector General on December 18, 2025. As Inspector General, Mr. D’Esposito is covered by the Hatch Act, which limits certain political activity by federal employees. The Hatch Act expressly prohibits an employee like Mr. D’Esposito from being a candidate for nomination or election to public office in a partisan election, such as a candidate in an electoral race for the House of Representatives,” Blumenthal wrote in a letter to Greer.

Blumenthal continued, “All signs suggest that Mr. D’Esposito is running for office. Reporting and state party officials have indicated that Mr. D’Esposito is seeking the Republican nomination for New York’s Fourth Congressional District, Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings reveal that the “Desposito For New York” campaign committee received donations in 2025 of $22,205.54 through as recently as September 30, and his campaign website remains active.”

“The American people deserve inspectors general who are dedicated to rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse at the agency, not who are there simply to move on to the next opportunity. As the acting leader of the Office of Special Counsel, if you find Mr. D’Esposito to have violated the Hatch Act, you must demand the President remove him from his position and hold him accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Blumenthal concluded.

Blumenthal previously questioned D’Esposito about his intentions to run for Congress during his nomination hearing, at which point D’Esposito still had an active campaign website and was soliciting donations. The video and transcript of Blumenthal’s exchange with D’Esposito is available here.

The full text of Blumenthal’s letter to Greer is available here.

Dear Acting Special Counsel Greer,

I write to urge you to investigate Mr. Anthony D’Esposito, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Labor, in light of recent reporting that Mr. D’Esposito intends to run for Congress again.^[1] If such reports are true, Mr. D’Esposito must immediately step down from his role as Inspector General—failure to do otherwise would be in violation of the Hatch Act. Moreover, if true, the reports raise serious questions about the veracity behind some of the statements Mr. D’Esposito made during his confirmation process.

As you know, Mr. D’Esposito was confirmed to be Inspector General on December 18, 2025. As Inspector General, Mr. D’Esposito is covered by the Hatch Act, which limits certain political activity by federal employees. The Hatch Act expressly prohibits an employee like Mr. D’Esposito from being a candidate for nomination or election to public office in a partisan election, such as a candidate in an electoral race for the House of Representatives. Specifically, the Hatch Act explicitly states that an executive branch employee “may not…run for the nomination or as a candidate for election to a partisan political office.”^[2]

All signs suggest that Mr. D’Esposito is running for office. Reporting and state party officials have indicated that Mr. D’Esposito is seeking the Republican nomination for New York’s Fourth Congressional District,^[3] Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings reveal that the “Desposito For New York” campaign committee received donations in 2025 of $22,205.54 through as recently as September 30,^[4] and his campaign website remains active.^[5] Additionally, while he claimed that he and his team were not involved in the matter,^[6] an advertisement for Mr. D’Esposito’s campaign was placed in the Five Towns Jewish Times newspaper on September 19, 2025.^[7] In light of all this information, you are required under the Hatch Act to investigate whether Mr. D’Esposito is running for political office. Critically, Mr. D’Esposito cannot evade the Hatch Act by refusing to announce his candidacy publicly while initiating a campaign for office privately. If you find that Mr. D’Esposito is running for his old House seat, he must immediately resign. If he does not, you must impose penalties for violating the Hatch Act. Holding those who violate the Hatch Act accountable is not a matter of discretion. Rather, the law clearly dictates that violators of the statute “shall be subject to…disciplinary action” such as removal, a “civil penalty,” or both.^[8]

Furthermore, this reporting is extremely concerning, as it would seem to indicate that Mr. D’Esposito withheld information about his intentions from Congress during his confirmation process. During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, I asked Mr. D’Esposito whether he intended to run for Congress again. He told me, “My focus is on being confirmed to serve as Inspector General of the United States Labor Department. Having discussions about the future are questions that I cannot answer.” At the time, Mr. D’Esposito still had an active campaign website and was soliciting donations. When testifying before Congress, a lie by omission is still a lie.

The American people deserve inspectors general who are dedicated to rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse at the agency, not who are there simply to move on to the next opportunity. As the acting leader of the Office of Special Counsel, if you find Mr. D’Esposito to have violated the Hatch Act, you must demand the President remove him from his position and hold him accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

I look forward to working with you to uphold the integrity of our inspectors general.

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