Interior Department tells staff not to dress as Trump or other candidates for Halloween

The Interior Department on Wednesday afternoon reminded staff they are not allowed to dress up as federal candidates for Halloween, including President Trump, according to an Interior Department email obtained by the Daily Beast. 

The department wrote in a Halloween Day email to its staff that wearing costumes resembling candidates for “partisan political office” is a violation of the Hatch Act. 

“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,” the email read, according to the Daily Beast.

“Please keep in mind that President Donald J. Trump is officially a candidate for reelection,” it adds. 

The Hatch Act bars federal employees from using their offices, work resources and work social media accounts for political purposes. 

The Interior Department did not respond to an email from the Daily Beast asking if any of their employees prompted the email by dressing up as Trump for Halloween. 

“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,” the Interior Department wrote in the email, according to the Daily Beast. 

Trump launched his reelection campaign early in his first term and has already raised millions.