WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - Less than a week before the mid-term elections, a White House Press Secretary allegedly disparaged Republican candidates to voters when she criticized GOP leaders during an official briefing.
“Unfortunately, we have seen MAGA Republican officials who don’t believe in the rule of law,” Karine Jean-Pierre said publicly on Nov. 2 from her press room podium. “They refuse to accept the results of free and fair elections, and they fan the flames of political violence through what they praise and what they refuse to condemn.”
Jean-Pierre has been the press secretary since May.
MAGA is a political slogan coined by former U.S. President Donald Trump, Make America Great Again.
“Karine Jean-Pierre took the occasion of a daily briefing to vilify officials of the opposing political party,” said Michael Chamberlain, director of Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT), a government watchdog in D.C. “The comments appear to be clearly designed to influence voters in (this) week’s election.”
Jean-Pierre’s comments are a direct violation of the Hatch Act because they are an attempt to sway an election, according to Chamberlain. She is aware of Hatch Act protocols as has referenced the law as justification for avoiding responding to journalists’ questions, according to a press release.
“We do believe her comments crossed the line,” Chamberlain told Legal Newsline. “We will leave any potential determination or potential consequences to the relevant authorities.”
The Hatch Act prohibits federal executive branch employees from using their official authority or influence to interfere with or affect the result of an election.
PPT filed a complaint with the Office of Special Counsel’s Hatch Act Unit asking for a prompt investigation into Jean-Pierre’s conduct.
“We request that you promptly investigate these potential violations and immediately intervene to ensure that the government officials do not abuse their official authority in an attempt to influence the results of the impending 2022 general election,” the letter states.
Jean-Pierre’s predecessor, Jen Psaki, was found in violation of the Hatch Act on Dec. 1, 2021, after Citizens for Responsibility & Ethics in Washington filed a complaint. Psaki subsequently left the position some four months later to accept a job at MSNBC, according to media reports.
“We can't know what motivated her to seek outside employment,” Chamberlain added. “However, we still have unanswered questions regarding her disparagement of a competitor of her future employer while she was still Press Secretary.”
During a Pod Save America recording on April 14, Psaki disparaged Fox News, an MSNBC and NBC competitor, which could constitute a misuse of her official position, according to a PPT press release.
When asked about Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy during the podcast, Psaki implied that the network might cause him to sound like ‘a stupid son of a b***h.’