Top Obama Health Adviser Admits Mistake In Political Probe

(Reuters) - Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius admits she made a mistake during remarks in February that investigators say violated a federal law restricting the political activities of government employees.

Sebelius, who is spearheading the implementation of President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law, warned at a meeting of the Human Rights Campaign that progress made on gay and lesbian rights under Obama could be "wiped out in a heartbeat" if the president was not reelected in November.

She also called for the election of a Democratic governor in North Carolina. Human Rights Campaign represents people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

"Secretary Sebelius violated the Hatch Act by making extemporaneous political remarks," investigators with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel concluded in a report that referred the case to the president for "appropriate action."

More