Conservative Group Accuses White House Press Secretary Of Violating Hatch Act

A conservative watchdog group has accused White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre of violating the Hatch Act. The Hatch Act essentially forbids any federal employee from engaging in political activity while on duty in their capacity as a federal employee. According to The Hill , the complaints from Protect The Public Trust, which is run by former Trump administration official Michael Chamberlain, were submitted to the Office of Special Council, who sent Jean-Pierre and White House spokesman Andrew Bates letters. 



According to NBC News, an October letter from the OSC warned that the use of the term “MAGA ” was considered a campaign-related slogan. Chamberlain went after Jean-Pierre specifically in the complaint he filed in June, writing, “Your letter advised Ms. Jean-Pierre ‘that should she again engage in prohibited political activity, OSC would consider it a knowing and willful violation of the law that could result in OSC pursuing disciplinary action.’ That is precisely what Ms. Jean-Pierre has done,” Chamberlain wrote. “It further is highly unlikely that the phrase ‘MAGA’ appeared in two separate White House Press Office documents on the same day by accident.”



Chamberlain also claimed that the OSC’s refusal to punish Jean-Pierre signaled to him that the Hatch Act is not taken seriously, telling NBC News, “Apparently, nobody takes the Hatch Act very seriously, at least nobody that matters. Ms. Jean-Pierre cites it frequently to avoid tough questions, but when she and her deputy received the initial warning from OSC, they doubled down.”



Chamberlain added, “They probably guessed there would be no consequences, and the OSC appears to have proven them correct.”




Remember when the 2020 Republicam National Convention was held at the White House and it wasn't a violation of the Hatch Act…fascinating. https://t.co/TsgZFuWs4B — Cory Provost (@coryprovost) December 2, 2023




According to NBC News , enforcement of the Hatch Act for top officials is considered impossible, while lower-level federal employees are often punished for running afoul of the OSC’s rules. However, in 2021, members of the Trump administration were under scrutiny for possible violations of the Hatch Act multiple times, culminating in a November 2021 report calling their behavior “especially pernicious” and saying their actions “appeared to be a taxpayer-funded campaign apparatus within the upper echelons of the executive branch.” 




Where were you when Kellyanne, Ivanka, Kayleigh, et al violated the Hatch Act week after week? Sit down hypocrite pic.twitter.com/fawoHBNyNC —