Press Secretary faces Hatch Act scrutiny for mega MAGA remarks
In a recent development, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faces scrutiny for violating the Hatch Act, a law that limits political activity by federal employees. The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) has accused Jean-Pierre of using her official capacity to influence the outcome of an election by referring to “mega MAGA Republicans” during press briefings before the November 2022 midterm election.
Although Jean-Pierre did not explicitly instruct viewers to vote for or against Republican candidates, the OSC determined that the timing, frequency, and content of her references were aimed at generating opposition to Republican candidates. In response to the ruling, Jean-Pierre stated that she had been given permission to use the terminology by White House officials under President Joe Biden’s administration.
Jean-Pierre also pointed out that the previous administration under former President Donald Trump had frequently used the term “MAGA Republicans,” with the archived Trump White House website containing nearly 2,000 instances of the term to describe policy and official agendas. She added that Congressional Republicans had been using the term to refer to policies and official agendas for years.
Regarding the OSC’s ruling, Jean-Pierre mentioned that White House lawyers would be in touch with the Office of Special Counsel to review the decision. She explained that the letter was retroactive, and the comments she made were months prior to the ruling. As a result, the White House counsel will engage in “a routine dialogue with OSC” to discuss the matter further.
