Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, suggested in a letter to the U.S. Office of the Special Counsel that the Trump administration has made "apparent violations of the Hatch Act, and illegal use of government resources to promote a false, partisan Republican political agenda."
WATCH LIVE: Jeffries holds news conference as shutdown stretches into 2nd day
"Messages shared by multiple Trump Administration agencies in the last few days attempt to place blame for the current government shutdown on congressional Democrats and the Democratic Party," Garcia's letter reads, citing social media posts from department secretaries and messages on the websites of federal agencies.
Garcia requested that the Special Counsel's office, which is headed by an acting official and Trump appointee, "immediately investigate these likely violations of federal law," which prohibits government agencies and officials from engaging in partisan electoral politics.
Garcia said that any probe would inform future House Democratic investigations into "any and all cases in which federal power or resources are weaponized for political reasons."
Find more of our government shutdown coverage
- WATCH: Congressional leaders and White House refuse to compromise on first day of shutdown
- READ MORE: What happens now that a government shutdown is underway
- WATCH: Jeffries says GOP uninterested in negotiating because 'they apparently wanted' a shutdown
- READ MORE: Are Democrats or Republicans to blame for the looming government shutdown? Here's what our poll found
- WATCH: Democrats' demands are a 'ransom note,' GOP Rep. Haridopolos says