White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre violated the Hatch Act by referring to “mega MAGA Republicans” ahead of the 2022 midterms, according to a government watchdog agency. The Office of Special Counsel wrote in a letter Wednesday that because 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.” Conservative group Protect the Public’s Trust filed a Hatch Act complaint against Jean-Pierre in November after she spoke about “mega MAGA Republican officials who don’t believe in the rule of law.” Protect the Public’s Trust called her words “an inappropriate attempt to influence the vote.” Ana Galindo‐Marrone, the leader of the Office of Special Counsel’s Hatch Act Unit, wrote in the letter to the group that while Jean-Pierre had violated the law, it had been decided to close the matter “without further action” because the White House counsel’s office “did not at the time believe that Ms. Jean‐Pierre’s remarks were prohibited.”
Read it at NBC News
