Wild socks worn to an official event by former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke were not only in questionable taste, they also broke the law.

Its a violation of the Hatch Act for most federal employees to use their position to promote partisan politics . Zinkes colorful socks featured an image of President Donald Trump with Trumps campaign slogan, Make America Great Again. Zinke wore them last June during an official visit to Mount Rushmore. He also tweeted a close-up photo of them at the time, quipping: Breaking in new socks on a hike with the governors.

Because Secretary Zinke wore these socks to an official event and also authorized their display on his official Twitter account, he violated the Hatch Acts prohibition against using his official position to influence an election, Ana Galindo-Marrone, head of the Hatch Act unit of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, concluded in a letter.