CREW calls the FBI video a clear violation of the Hatch Act and asks the Office of Special Counsel to investigate
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in WashingtonGovernment ethics watchdog group, announcing its complaint
CREW says the FBI video, which highlights current candidates including Abdul El-Sayed and says their policies failed, is a clear Hatch Act violation, and that it has asked the Office of Special Counsel to investigate.
Responding to
The FBI's video is prohibited political activity under the Hatch Act because it advocates against the election of the candidates it names.
“This is a clear violation of the Hatch Act. We just asked the OSC to investigate.”
Original post
Reporting
Where this statement fits
FBI posts, then deletes, a video calling Democrats the 'defund the police crowd'; watchdogs say it violated the Hatch Act
On October 6, 2026, the FBI's Rapid Response account on X posted a two-minute video that labeled Kamala Harris, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Cori Bush and Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed as part of the "defund the police crowd" and credited Director Kash Patel with a rise in violent crime arrests. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a Hatch Act complaint with the Office of Special Counsel that day, and the FBI later deleted the post. On October 15 the Democracy Defenders Fund asked three federal watchdogs to investigate the video and who approved it. The FBI did not respond to The Hill's request for comment.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
CREW's Bluesky post announcing that it had asked the Office of Special Counsel to investigate the FBI video.
Reporting
About this source
The Hill's report on the video and the complaint, quoting the FBI post, CREW's filing and president Donald Sherman, Delaney Marsco of the Campaign Legal Center, and Abdul El-Sayed's earlier remarks to Politico.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
CREW's post says the FBI video features several current candidates for office, including Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, and says their policies "failed" and "Americans were left exposed".
After the quotation
In its filing to the Office of Special Counsel, quoted by The Hill, CREW says the video's identification of El-Sayed as a Senate nominee is a clear invocation of the upcoming election and that his inclusion appears to have no other purpose than to advocate for the success or failure of a political candidate.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the FBI's October 6, 2026, video and post naming Democratic officials and candidates as the "defund the police crowd" while praising Director Kash Patel. CREW calls the video a clear violation of the law and files a complaint.
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More from this case
Read the full caseDemocracy Defenders Fund asks for Hatch Act penalties over the FBI video, up to removal from federal service
Democracy Defenders Fund
“The FBI’s promotional video has no place in a democratic society. We therefore request that the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) open an investigation into this matter and request that you seek appropriate penalties, including up to removal and debarment from federal employment, for employees deemed to have violated the Hatch Act.”Read statement
Campaign Legal Center's Delaney Marsco says the FBI video is not compliant with the Hatch Act
“It shouldn’t shock anyone that this is not compliant with the Hatch Act.”Read statement
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- CREW calls the FBI video a clear violation of the Hatch Act and asks the Office of Special Counsel to investigate
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The Dispute Index. "CREW calls the FBI video a clear violation of the Hatch Act and asks the Office of Special Counsel to investigate". First published: 2026-10-21. Last updated: 2026-10-21. https://disputeindex.com/events/6427-crew-says-the-fbi-video-which-highlights-current