Posted 3 years ago
Lynne Patton, a former federal official, admitted she abused her authority in a publicity stunt that tricked New York City public housing residents into sounding supportive of former President Donald Trump, ethics oversight officials said Tuesday. As an administrator for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Patton got permission to live in public housing run by the New York City Housing Authority to draw attention to living conditions there.
She used her access to do interviews with residents that were edited into a video — shown at the Republican National Convention — in a way designed to credit Trump for improving the conditions while slamming New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat. Multiple residents complained that the comments were taken out of context, and that they did not agree for it to be used in such a manner.
Patton “improperly harnessed the authority of her federal position to assist the Trump campaign in violation of the Hatch Act,” said a statement released by the special counsel office.
Topic: Politics
Tags: Donald Trump Lynne Patton Lynne Patton HUD HUD Government Fraud Government Fraud