Watchdog Agency: Kellyanne Conway Should Be Fired Over Hatch Act Violations

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The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is recommending that the Trump administration fire White House adviser Kellyanne Conway for repeated violations of the Hatch Act. The Hatch Act is a federal law that bars certain federal employees from engaging in political activities in their official capacity.

The OSC listed numerous examples of Conway "disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in her official capacity during television interviews and on social media."

"Like with other presidential appointees, the President has the authority to discipline Ms. Conway for violating the Hatch Act. Given that Ms. Conway is a repeat offender and has shown disregard for the law, (the office) recommends that she be removed from federal service," the OSC said in a statement.

"Ms. Conway's violations, if left unpunished, would send a message to all federal employees that they need not abide by the Hatch Act's restrictions. Her actions thus erode the principal foundation of our democratic system -- the rule of law," Special counsel Henry Kerner wrote in the letter to President Donald Trump.

The White House does not plan on terminating Conway and fired back at the OSC, accusing the agency of being "influenced by media pressure and liberal organizations."

"The Office of Special Counsel's (OSC) unprecedented actions against Kellyanne Conway are deeply flawed and violate her constitutional rights to free speech and due process. Others, of all political views, have objected to the OSC's unclear and unevenly applied rules which have a chilling effect on free speech for all federal employees," deputy press secretary Steven Groves said in a statement.

Photo: Getty Images


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