The U.S. Office of Special Counsel has found that General Services Administration chief Lurita Alexis Doan violated the federal Hatch Act when she allegedly asked GSA political appointees during a January briefing how they could "help our candidates" win the next election, according to a report by the office.

The Hatch Act restricts executive branch employees from using their position for political purposes. The special counsel's office, which investigates alleged violations of the law, said it would recommend that President Bush take disciplinary action against Doan, including possible removal from office.

Doan lashes out at witnesses
In her sworn statement to investigators, Doan also said that GSA political appointees who gave testimony to investigators were biased, according to the report. "There is not a single one of those who did not have somewhere in between a poor to totally inferior performance," Doan said in her statement.

As a result of Doan's assertions, investigators examined the witnesses' recent performance reviews and found that her account was "unsupported and contradicted by the documentary evidence," the report said.

One employee singled out by Doan as "totally inferior" had recently received an evaluation that said the employee was "meeting expectations" and was called "an extremely proactive and valued member of the top management team," the report said.