Painter says the agencies sent the emails 'just before the election to persuade people that President Trump is doing a good job'
Richard PainterUniversity of Minnesota law professor and former chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, in comments to The New York Times reported by Newsweek
Richard Painter, a former chief White House ethics lawyer, tells The New York Times that the Social Security and IRS emails were sent just before the election to persuade people that Trump is doing a good job, and that he regards them as inappropriate.
Responding to
The Social Security Administration and IRS emails praising President Trump days before the November 3 midterms may have violated the Hatch Act.
“They're doing it just before the election to persuade people that President Trump is doing a good job”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Social Security and IRS emails praise Trump days before the midterms; law professors and Rep. Mike Levin raise Hatch Act concerns
On October 30 and 31, 2026, people with online Social Security accounts received an email from Frank Bisignano, the Social Security commissioner, saying that under President Donald J. Trump the agency is transforming into a model of excellence. A separate IRS email under Bisignano's name, as the agency's chief executive, credited Trump's Working Families Tax Cuts and told recipients they are keeping more of what they earn because of his tax cuts. The emails went out days before the November 3 midterm elections. Law professor Kathleen Clark told The New York Times the emails seemed to function as propaganda rather than public service announcements, and law professor Richard Painter said they were sent just before the election to persuade people that Trump was doing a good job. Rep. Mike Levin said the emails raise serious questions under the Hatch Act, which restricts partisan political activity by federal employees. No authority has ruled on the emails, and we did not find a public response from either agency as of November 10, 2026.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Report on the October 30 and 31 Social Security email and a separate IRS email sent under Frank Bisignano's name, quoting both emails and comments that law professors Kathleen Clark and Richard Painter gave The New York Times, and noting that Newsweek asked the SSA for comment.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Newsweek reports that legal experts are questioning whether the messages crossed federal restrictions on political activity by government employees, and that law professor Kathleen Clark told The New York Times the emails appeared to function as propaganda rather than public service announcements. It says Painter was more explicit about the timing.
After the quotation
Newsweek reports that Painter told the Times he regarded the messages as inappropriate, and that there has been no official ruling that Bisignano or the agency violated the law.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the mass emails the Social Security Administration and the IRS sent under Frank Bisignano's name days before the November 3, 2026 midterms, crediting President Trump with the agencies' performance and the tax cuts. Painter says the emails were timed to persuade voters and calls them inappropriate, which condemns them.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Social Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service
More from this case
Read the full caseLevin says two nonpartisan agencies used the days before the election to send emails promoting Trump's agenda
“Two taxpayer-funded federal agencies, which are supposed to be nonpartisan, decided that the days leading up to an election were the perfect time to send Americans emails promoting Donald Trump's political agenda.”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Painter says the agencies sent the emails 'just before the election to persuade people that President Trump is doing a good job'
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/8615-richard-painter-a-former-chief-white-house-ethics
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Painter says the agencies sent the emails 'just before the election to persuade people that President Trump is doing a good job'". First published: 2026-11-10. Last updated: 2026-11-10. https://disputeindex.com/events/8615-richard-painter-a-former-chief-white-house-ethics