Interior Department Tells Staff That Dressing Up as Trump for Halloween Could Be Illegal

In more proof that Halloween sucks, The Daily Beast obtained an email from the Department of the Interior today telling staff to not come to work dressed as the president. The email, with the subject line “Halloween Hatch Act Reminder,” read:

While we enjoy the Halloween activities this afternoon, it is important to remember that employees should not wear costumes that resemble candidates for partisan political office. Please keep in mind that President Donald J. Trump is officially a candidate for reelection.

According to The Daily Beast, it’s unclear if this reminder was sent out because a staffer came to work dressed as Donald Trump, or whether it was sent as advance warning.

The email continues:

[The] Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from… engaging in political activity while on duty, in a federal room or building, while wearing an official uniform or insignia, or using a government vehicle… A federal employee dressing up as a candidate for an agency Halloween party poses a challenging problem because it is unclear if the individual’s costume choice is meant to be taken as a sign of support for or opposition to a particular candidate or just merely a selection based on what is currently trending in pop culture.