Biden knocks Trump for using White House as ‘prop’ for convention

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Thursday admonished President Trump for using the White House as a “prop” in the Republican National Convention.

“He continues to flaunt every single basic rule and basic tenet that Democrats and Republicans both have adhered to. He’s using the White House as a prop now,” Biden said on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports.”

“Look what’s going on in terms of the Hatch Act,” he added, while conceding, “I know people don’t know what the Hatch Act is.”

Democrats and others this week have focused on the federal law, which prohibits executive branch employees from engaging in political activity in their official capacity, while blasting Trump for holding political events on White House grounds.

The law does not apply to the president or vice president, though critics have questioned whether other officials have violated the law by using White House resources for certain events at the convention.

Trump has shattered the line between governing and campaigning with this week’s GOP convention. He issued a pardon in a segment recorded at the White House, oversaw a naturalization ceremony in another pre-recorded portion, and he will deliver his acceptance speech from the South Lawn on Thursday night.

First lady Melania Trump gave her keynote address on Tuesday night from the Rose Garden. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo flouted the tradition of diplomats refraining from political activity by recording a speech for the Republican convention while on travel to Jerusalem.

Experts have said acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf likely violated the Hatch Act by participating in the naturalization ceremony during the convention.

Trump’s decision to also use the White House as a backdrop for a political speech has drawn outcry from ethics watchdogs and lawmakers in both parties who worry he is politicizing federal property and blatantly using it for his own reelection effort.

Multiple administration officials have been the subject of frequent Hatch Act complaints from ethics groups. The Office of Special Counsel previously cited White House counselor Kellyanne Conway with repeated violations and recommended she be fired.

“Can you imagine what would’ve happened if Barack Obama did that when he was running a second time, or I did that from the White House lawn or Rose Garden?” Biden asked Thursday.

Obama did film some campaign ads in 2012 from the West Wing.