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Some of the speakers on the second night of the Republican National Convention may find themselves under federal investigation for their participation.
President Donald Trump surprised the audience when he hosted a naturalization ceremony at the White House. The unprecedented ceremony was presided over by the acting Secretary of Homeland Security, which likely violated the Hatch Act, a federal ethics law banning government officials from participating in political activity while on duty or in federal buildings. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are exempt from some aspects of the law.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also made a virtual appearance at the convention from Israel, where he had traveled for official business. While Pompeo did not explicitly tell viewers to vote to re-elect Trump, his appearance in particular raised eyebrows as under federal law, American diplomats are supposed to avoid taking overt sides in a political campaign, something that Pompeo himself recently reminded State Department staff about.
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron made an appearance to address Joe Biden’s recent gaffes, including one interview in May where Biden said, "if you have a problem figuring out if you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t Black."
"Mr. Vice President, look at me. I am Black. We are not all the same, sir," Cameron said. "I am not in chains. My mind is my own and you can’t tell me how to vote because of the color of my skin."
Biden has since said he regretted those comments. Cameron himself has become somewhat of a controversial figure among Black voters for his reluctance to press charges against the officers who shot Breonna Taylor in her home despite a national movement that has persisted for months.
First Lady Melania Trump gave the closing address, capping off a night of women speakers. The First Lady set a different tone from the rest of the convention as the only speaker not to attack Biden and the first in two nights to address the toll of COVID-19, with most speakers addressing the pandemic only briefly to praise the president’s handling of the crisis.
"I want to acknowledge the fact that since March, our lives have changed drastically. The invisible enemy COVID-19 swept across our beautiful country," she said. "My deepest sympathy goes out to everyone who has lost a loved one. And my prayers are with those who are ill or suffering."
Her speech provided a calm counterbalance to the harsh culture war rhetoric that proceeded her.