(TruthAndLiberty.com) – The Office of Special Counsel (OSC), a watchdog agency, shared with the White House a detailed report about press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre violating the Hatch Act by using the term “mega MAGA Republicans” ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. In the detailed report, it was noted that the phrase had been used during a daily press briefing.
Following the incident, the agency sent Jean-Pierre a warning letter but had opted not to pursue disciplinary action. In response to the warning Andrew Bates, a White House spokesman stated that throughout the administration they had been clear about how seriously they took the law and adhering to the Hatch Act, as such they were “reviewing this opinion.”
OSC Hatch Act Unit chief Ana Galindo‐Marrone sent the letter outlining the violation on June 7. As the letter noted Jean-Pierre had made “derogatory statements about the Republican Party.” It continued on to say that while Jean-Pierre had never explicitly told viewers whether or not to vote for GOP candidates, the timing and frequency of references to “MAGA Republicans” show that she was making these comments in an attempt to get viewers to oppose Republican candidates, which would make these references “political activity.”
On Tuesday, Jean-Pierre stated that they had not been informed about “their opinion” at the time and that the letter was received last week and is addressing the comments retroactively. When questioned about her understanding of the HATCH Act, Jean-Pierre claimed that the White House was cautious “to respect” the rule of law and not discuss any election topics.
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