White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was found to have violated the Hatch Act during official press briefings last year.
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) concluded that her comments regarding “mega MAGA Republican officials” and her derogatory statements about the Republican Party were in violation of the Hatch Act, which aims to prevent federal employees from engaging in political activities that could interfere with elections.
The OSC’s investigation found that Jean-Pierre had repeatedly used the phrase “MAGA Republicans” in official press briefings, and her statements were deemed to be an inappropriate attempt to influence the vote.
“Because Ms. 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,” the agency wrote in a June 7 letter….