White House Defends Political Briefings

The White House is defending government briefings about upcoming congressional elections, the Washington Post reports.

A government spokesman said 20 briefings were conducted in at least 15 government agencies. Officials contacted by the Post described the sessions as "informational briefings about the political landscape."

Scott J. Bloch, director of the Office of Special Counsel, said his office would investigate whether it was appropriate to use federal facilities or resources, and whether the presentations were lawful.

The Hatch Act bars the use of federal resources for partisan purposes.