The Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service praised President Trump in mass emails sent Thursday, Friday and Saturday to people with online accounts, an unusual move days before the midterm elections that some experts said could violate federal ethics laws.
“Under President Donald J. Trump, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is transforming into a model of excellence, one that meets and exceeds customer expectations for fast, accurate and secure service,” Frank Bisignano, the Social Security Agency’s commissioner, wrote in one of the emails, copies of which were reviewed by The New York Times.
Mr. Bisignano, who also serves as the chief executive of the I.R.S., signed his name on a similar email sent out by the I.R.S. on Thursday, copies of which were also reviewed by The Times.
“Last year, President Donald J. Trump signed into law the Working Families Tax Cuts, landmark legislation that ushered in a new era of tax relief and prevented the largest tax increase in American history from taking effect,” Mr. Bisignano wrote in the other email, continuing, “Hardworking Americans like you are keeping more of what they earn because of President Trump’s historic tax cuts.”
The I.R.S. email says that it is “for informational purposes and does not constitute a communication about a taxpayer’s specific situation,” adding that the I.R.S. “does not generally send e-mails to taxpayers.”
Several legal experts said the emails’ praise of Mr. Trump, coupled with their timing just days before a pivotal election, potentially violated the Hatch Act, an 87-year-old law meant to prevent employees of the executive branch from using their positions to influence the results of partisan elections.
Kathleen Clark, a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis, said the emails seemed to function as “propaganda” rather than as public service announcements providing practical information.
“They’re doing it just before the election to persuade people that President Trump is doing a good job,” Richard W. Painter, a law professor at the University of Minnesota and former White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, said in a phone interview on Saturday, adding that he thought the emails were inappropriate.
Ms. Clark said the messages were reminiscent of a television ad campaign by the Trump administration this fall that promoted his presidency. Some experts said the campaign could have violated the Hatch Act and additional statutory prohibitions on the use of appropriated funds for publicity or propaganda.
The Social Security Administration and the I.R.S. did not respond to requests for comment.
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