{"id":1948450,"date":"2023-06-15T17:40:03","date_gmt":"2023-06-15T21:40:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-officials-defy-federal-ethics-law\/"},"modified":"2023-06-15T17:41:23","modified_gmt":"2023-06-15T21:41:23","slug":"white-house-officials-defy-federal-ethics-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-officials-defy-federal-ethics-law\/","title":{"rendered":"White House officials disregard ethics law."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhite-house-officials-defy-federal-ethics-law%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1948450&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Special counsel says White House&#8217;s &#8216;MAGA&#8217; comments constitute illegal election interference<\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n<figure>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Two top White House officials willfully violated a longstanding federal ethics law on Wednesday, setting up a legal showdown between the Biden administration and the Office of Special Counsel.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/winred.tomcotton.com\/tom-cotton\/defend-scotus-ads-beacon?utm_source=rc&#038;utm_medium=beaconads&#038;utm_campaign=2023maybeaconscotus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/winred.tomcotton.com\/tom-cotton\/defend-scotus-ads-beacon?utm_source=rc&#038;utm_medium=beaconads&#038;utm_campaign=2023maybeaconscotus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and her deputy, Andrew Bates, issued statements Wednesday containing several references to &#8220;MAGA,&#8221; just one week after authorities at the Office of Special Counsel <a href=\"https:\/\/osc.gov\/Documents\/Hatch%20Act\/Advisory%20Opinions\/Federal\/Hatch%20Act%20Advisory%20Opinion%20Regarding%20the%20Use%20of%20Presidential%20Campaign%20Slogans.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> it was illegal for federal employees to use the slogan in their official capacity. The prosecutorial agency said the use of former President Donald Trump\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-officials-defy-federal-ethics-law\/\" title=\"White House officials disregard ethics law.\">campaign slogan constitutes partisan political activity<\/a> and is a violation of the Hatch Act, a 1939 law that prohibits federal officials from using taxpayer funds to influence elections.<\/p>\n<p>The White House\u2019s willingness to violate the Hatch Act underscores the Biden administration\u2019s dedication to smearing Republicans as &#8220;MAGA.&#8221; Administration officials have frequently deployed the phrase since the president first uttered &#8220;Ultra-MAGA&#8221; in the leadup to the 2022 elections. The White House initially <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/biden-ultra-maga-liberal-focus-group-research\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">claimed<\/a> Biden came up with the phrase himself, but the <em>Washington Post<\/em> later revealed the messaging was the focus-group-tested result of a six-month research project from the Center for American Progress Action Fund under the leadership of Biden aide Anita Dunn.<\/p>\n<p>Government investigators notified Jean-Pierre in a June 7 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/documents\/139f8223-99e4-4ac1-84f3-a9bddd1ad9f8.pdf?itid=lk_inline_manual_4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">letter<\/a> that she violated the Hatch Act by uttering &#8220;MAGA Republicans&#8221; during a November press conference. The Office of Special Counsel warned Jean-Pierre that if she continued to use the phrase, they &#8220;would consider it a knowing and willful violation of the law that could result in OSC pursuing disciplinary action.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Instead of heeding their legal guidance, Jean-Pierre used the phrase twice in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/statements-releases\/2023\/06\/14\/statement-from-press-secretary-karine-<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jen-psaki-says-shed-be-happy-to-take-on-kayleigh-mcenany-on-fox-news\/\" title=\"Jen Psaki Says She\u2019d Be \u2018Happy\u2019 To Take On Kayleigh McEnany On Fox News\u00a0\">jean-pierre<\/a>-on-republican-study-committee-budget\/&#8221; target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; rel=&#8221;noopener&#8221;>statement<\/a> Wednesday evening attacking a &#8220;hardcore MAGA budget&#8221; released by the Republican Study Committee that would <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/republican-study-committee-releases-budget-proposal-would-slash-spending-16-trillion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">slash<\/a> spending by $16.3 trillion over the next 10 years. Bates also attacked the legislation in a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AlexThomp\/status\/1669097772555829248\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">memo<\/a> Wednesday that contained three instances of the prohibited phrase.<\/p>\n<p>Calling their statements a &#8220;deliberate thumb in the eye&#8221; of federal authorities, the watchdog group Protect the Public\u2019s Trust filed a <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/PPT-Jean-Pierre-Bates-Hatch-Act-Complaint.pdf\">complaint<\/a> with the Office of Special Counsel on Thursday morning, demanding a formal investigation into the White House\u2019s &#8220;deliberate decision&#8221; to flout the agency\u2019s legal guidance.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Is this the behavior the American public should expect from the self-proclaimed most ethical administration in history?&#8221; Protect the Public\u2019s Trust director Michael Chamberlain told the <em>Washington Free Beacon<\/em>. &#8220;We were promised a return to normalcy, respect for the rule of law, and decency. Yet what we are getting is open mockery of rules and standards in pursuit of political advantage.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Anyone wondering why trust in government continues its downward spiral need look no further than this episode,&#8221; Chamberlain added.<\/p>\n<p>Reached for comment about the administration\u2019s use of \u2018MAGA Republicans,\u2019 Bates provided a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fact-check-did-keanu-reeves-say-people-like-trump-lift-the-veil-to-a-web-of-interconnected-manipulation\/\" title=\"FACT CHECK: Did Keanu Reeves Say, \u2018People Like Trump Lift The Veil\u2019 To A \u2018Web Of Interconnected Manipulation\u2019?\">lengthy statement alleging<\/a> the ethics complaint is moot because the watchdogs behind it are themselves MAGA Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If a former Trump campaign spokesperson who later worked under Betsy DeVos in an administration that incurred a historic number of Hatch Act violations qualifies as an &#8216;independent watchdog&#8217; simply because they bought a nametag, then I would like for you to describe me in this article as an [Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards] winner and Olympic gold medalist,&#8221; said Bates, who was\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/streaklinks.com\/Bi9b6j_UlMXyjS8YqgOq2WSG\/https%3A%2F%2Fnews.ncsu.edu%2F2023%2F06%2Fanother-day-in-the-white-house%2F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/streaklinks.com\/Bi9b6j_UlMXyjS8YqgOq2WSG\/https%253A%252F%252Fnews.ncsu.edu%252F2023%252F06%252Fanother-day-in-the-white-house%252F&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1686945442159000&#038;usg=AOvVaw1AXSLhoEj4oSFdnwxwE2P0\">previously<\/a>\u00a0&#8220;active in school theatrical productions&#8221; and once hoped to live as a thespian.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/winred.tomcotton.com\/tom-cotton\/defend-scotus-ads-beacon?utm_source=rc&#038;utm_medium=beaconads&#038;utm_campaign=2023maybeaconscotus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/winred.tomcotton.com\/tom-cotton\/defend-scotus-ads-beacon?utm_source=rc&#038;utm_medium=beaconads&#038;utm_campaign=2023maybeaconscotus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;We take the Hatch Act seriously, and note that this exact phrase has been used countless times by Republicans in elective office to refer to official policy proposals, agendas, and related values,&#8221; Bates added. &#8220;We have only every\u00a0[sic] used it in the same way.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Biden administration has a sordid history with the Hatch Act. Former press secretary Jen Psaki, former White House chief of staff Ron Klain, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm have all violated the longstanding ethics law, according to investigations from the Office of Special Counsel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Special counsel claims White House&#8217;s &#8216;MAGA&#8217; remarks breach election laws. Biden administration and Office of Special Counsel engage in legal dispute as White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and deputy Andrew Bates intentionally violate federal ethics law with their statements.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":108,"featured_media":1948451,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[10261,4381,3653,6547,3638,3765],"class_list":["post-1948450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon","tag-disregard","tag-ethics","tag-house","tag-law","tag-officials","tag-white"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1948450","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1948450"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1948450\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1948451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1948450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1948450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1948450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}