Enlarge / FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly, testifies during a Senate Commerce Committee oversight hearing on September 15, 2016. (credit: Getty Images | Bill Clark | CQ Roll Call))

O’Rielly has called his public statement an “off-the-cuff” remark, but the OSC said it was a violation of the Hatch Act, a federal law that limits the political activities of federal employees “to protect federal employees from political coercion in the workplace.”

“Regardless of his explanation, Commissioner O’Rielly advocated for the reelection of President Trump in his official capacity as FCC Commissioner,” the OSC wrote in a letter to American Oversight, the advocacy group that filed a complaint against O’Rielly. “Therefore, he violated the Hatch Act’s prohibition against using his official authority or influence to affect an election.”