Author Archives: Keith Koffler

According to the Washington Examiner:

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway violated the Hatch Act on “numerous occasions” and should be removed from the government, a United States federal office announced Thursday.

The recommendation was made by Henry Kerner, head of the Office of Special Counsel, in a letter sent to President Trump recommending she be removed from federal service.

Federal employees are prohibited by the Hatch Act from using their jobs to campaign for or against political candidates. The president and vice president are exempt from the Hatch Act, but employees of the White House are not.

Conway, 52, a longtime Republican pollster before joining Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, was described as a “repeat offender” by Kerner for disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in her official capacity during television interviews and on social media.

Specific violations listed by Kerner related to Conway’s comments during interviews about several 2020 Democratic candidates. For instance, she insinuated Sen. Cory Booker was “sexist” and a “tinny” “motivational speaker.” She castigated former Rep. Beto O’Rourke “think[ing] the women running are good enough to be President” and said Sen. Elizabeth Warren was “lying” about her ethnicity and “appropriating somebody else’s heritage.”

Kerner also detailed her comments about “frontrunners” Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders, whom she referred to as “two old white straight men career politicians.” She claimed Biden lacked “vision,” said his announcement video was “very dark and spooky,” and criticized his unwillingness to be “held to account for his record.” Conway said Sanders’ ideas were “terrible for America.”

The White House struck back, seeking to discredit the office.

“Others, of all political views, have objected to the OSC’s unclear and unevenly applied rules which have a chilling effect on free speech for all federal employees,” said White House spokesman Steven Groves. “Its decisions seem to be influenced by media pressure and liberal organizations – and perhaps OSC should be mindful of its own mandate to act in a fair, impartial, non-political manner, and not misinterpret or weaponize the Hatch Act.”