White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who habitually cites the Hatch Act to avoid certain questions, violated the Hatch Act in the run-up to the 2022 midterms when she repeatedly referred to GOP officials and candidates as “mega MAGA Republicans,” a government watchdog agency has determined.
The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) said in a letter obtained by NBC News that Jean-Pierre’s choice of words regarding Republican candidates violated the Hatch Act, a law intended to prevent federal employees from using their offices to influence elections. “Ms. Jean-Pierre used the phrase ‘MAGA Republicans’ repeatedly during official press briefings,” wrote Ana Galindo‐Marrone, who leads the agency’s Hatch Act Unit. The OSC determined “she made those references to generate opposition to Republican candidates.”
“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,” Galindo‐Marrone concluded.
Oddly enough, Jean-Pierre will not face any consequences for violating the law, as the Office of Special Counsel has “decided to close this matter without further action.” In her letter to Protect the Public’s Trust, Galindo‐Marrone noted that the White House counsel’s office “did not at the time believe that Ms. Jean‐Pierre’s remarks were prohibited.” She added: “[I]t is unclear whether OSC’s contrary analysis regarding the use of ‘MAGA Republicans’ was ever conveyed to Ms. Jean‐Pierre.”
In its letter, OSC did warn the White House that should Jean‐Pierre “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.”
Jean-Pierre has cited the Hatch Act repeatedly to justify her refusal to answer certain questions from reporters, “including in the weeks leading up to the 2022 midterm elections,” NBC News noted.
A conservative watchdog group, Protect the Public’s Trust, filed the Hatch Act complaint against Jean-Pierre in November.
The complaint cites a Nov. 2 White House briefing in which Jean-Pierre referred to “mega MAGA Republican officials who don’t believe in the rule of law” and made other disparaging remarks about Republican candidates. The group said Jean-Pierre’s remarks were “an inappropriate attempt to influence the vote.”
Jean-Pierre was following the Biden regime’s strategy of bashing their GOP opponents as a far-right “extremist threat” to Democracy in the runup to the midterm elections.
During a chilling speech on September 1, Joe Biden referred to Trump supporters “MAGA forces” and said they were a “threat to this country.”
“Karine Jean-Pierre’s repeated efforts to condemn political opponents leading up to last year’s midterms were a clear violation of the Hatch Act, even one the Office of Special Counsel could not ignore,” stated Protect the Public’s Trust Director Michael Chamberlain.
We are glad that there remains some interest in investigating misconduct within the highest levels of government. Officials are supposed to exercise their authority for the benefit of all Americans, not act as an arm of a political party. Unfortunately, Ms. Jean-Pierre was likely following the lead of her boss, President Biden, who, despite repeated promises to return the country to normalcy and lower the political temperature, has often employed deeply polarizing messages and demeaning slogans targeted at his opponents. This episode provides yet another example why the American public’s trust in its government continues its downward spiral.
During the White House Press briefing on Tuesday, Jean-Pierre was asked if she believed she had violated the Hatch Act.
“What I can say is at the time, I was given the signoff to use that terminology,” Jean Pierre replied, pointing out that the remarks referenced in the letter were made “months ago.”
“I’m just not going to get into giving my opinion or thoughts,” she said, adding: “The White House Counsel is going to have a routine conversation with OSC to talk about this.”
Jean Pierre acknowledged that the Biden White House has “used this term many times before.”
“It’s nothing new in the context of the way we use it, is in the context of talking about their policies, in talking about their values,” she said. “That’s how we have used this term. So I will, you know, leave it there.”