The Office of Special Counsel, which is not associated with former special counsel Robert Mueller, found Patton had violated the Hatch Act and issued her a warning letter, but said it will not pursue disciplinary action. Patton has been advised, according to the letter, that if she violates the act again it will be considered a willful and knowing violation of the law and could result in further action.

The Office of Special Counsel conducted an investigation and found that Patton, who is in charge of public housing in New York and New Jersey, had "liked" four tweets in violation of the Hatch Act, according to the letter posted by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington on its website. The Office of Special Counsel told CNN its policy is to send Hatch Act findings only to the complainant and the subject of the complaint, and confirmed the authenticity of the letter.

Patton "liked" a tweet by President Donald Trump endorsing Ron DeSantis' Florida gubernatorial candidacy and a tweet from Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel that opposed Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Patton also "liked" a tweet by the RNC advocating Mike Pompeo's confirmation as secretary of state and a tweet from Kanye West that read, "my MAGA hat is signed," and included a picture of his signed campaign hat.

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