Govt Watchdog: WH Press Secretary Violated Hatch Act

From News Max.com (June 13):

A government watchdog agency said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre violated the Hatch Act when she repeatedly referred to "MAGA Republican officials who don't believe in the rule of law" as the 2022 midterm elections approached, NBC News reported.

The Hatch Act was created to prevent federal workers from using their offices to influence elections.

The Office of Special Counsel found that Jean-Pierre's choice of words when referring to Republican candidates violated the act, according to NBC News.

"Because Ms. Jean‐Pierre made the statements while acting in her official capacity, she violated the Hatch Act prohibition against using her official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election," Ana Galindo‐Marrone, who leads the agency's Hatch Act Unit, wrote in a letter.

The Office of Special Counsel "decided to close this matter without further action," Galindo‐Marrone wrote in the letter. She noted that the White House counsel's office "did not at the time believe that Ms. Jean‐Pierre's remarks were prohibited."

At a Nov. 2 White House briefing, Jean-Pierre referred to "mega MAGA Republican officials who don't believe in the rule of law." She also made other disparaging comments about Republican candidates, according to a Hatch Act complaint filed by the conservative watchdog group Protect the Public's Trust in November.

Axios reported that White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement that Biden administration officials are reviewing the opinion from the special counsel.

"As has been made clear throughout the administration, we take the law seriously and uphold the Hatch Act," Bates said. [source]

Yea, sounds like she violated the act. Voter intimidation for sure. But the Left doesn’t care. It’s what they do. Politics is war.