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New White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks to reporters in the James S Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on May 16, 2022.
CNN
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White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre violated the Hatch Act for using the term “mega MAGA” from the podium in the briefing room, the US Office of the Special Counsel decided, and received a warning letter.
Jean-Pierre was found to be in violation of the Hatch Act, a law that is supposed to stop the federal government from influencing elections or conducting its activities in a partisan manner, when he said “mega MAGA Republican officials who do not believe in the rule of law,” according to the letter from the OSC. The letter was addressed to Michael Chamberlain, a former Trump administration official and director of the organization “Protect the Public’s Trust”, after being sued- and Chamberlain complained that Jean-Pierre used the words “mega MAGA Republican.”[s]” in an “improper attempt to influence the vote.”
“The OSC investigated your allegation and decided that Ms. Jean‐Pierre violated the Hatch Act. However … we decided not to pursue disciplinary action and instead issued Ms. Jean‐Pierre a warning letter,” OSC Hatch Act Unit chief Ana Galindo-Marrone said in a June 7 letter to Chamberlain, who served in the Department of Education during Donald Trump’s presidency.
Galindo-Marrone wrote, “The OSC concluded that the timing, frequency, and content of Ms. Jean‐Pierre of ‘MAGA Republicans’ established that he made those references to create opposition to the Republican candidates. Therefore, making references constitutes political activity. Because Ms. Jean‐Pierre’s statements while acting in his official capacity, he violated the Hatch Act’s prohibition against using his official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the outcome of an election.
Galindo-Marrone suggested that the White House Counsel’s Office “did not previously believe” that these comments were prohibited by the Hatch Act, and that it was “unclear” whether the OSC’s analysis “was addressed to Ms. Jean-Pierre. ”
Jean-Pierre took pains during his tenure to avoid violations of the Hatch Act. He refused to answer political questions, citing the 1939 law, in more than 40 White House press briefings or gaggles. Former members of the Biden administration – namely former chief of staff Ron Klain and former press secretary Jen Psaki – have been charged with violating the Hatch Act.
White House spokesman Andrew Bates told CNN that the White House is reviewing the OSC’s opinion.
“As the entire administration has made clear, we take the law seriously and support the Hatch Act. We are reviewing this opinion,” Bates said.
A Biden administration official also noted the Trump White House’s repeated use of the term “Make America Great Again” for official purposes — found in nearly 2,000 references on the official website at the Trump White House. Thirteen senior Trump administration officials violated the Hatch Act, according to a report released from the OSC in November 2021.
“Mega-MAGA” and other similar terms have been used frequently from the White House briefing podium ahead of the 2022 midterm elections as the White House seeks to bridge the gap between Trump-aligned factions. of the GOP.
Biden’s senior adviser Anita Dunn spoke about the decision to use the tongue-twister. While he said he “didn’t coin it” himself, he told Axios in a conversation before the election, he was involved in the decision to use the term as the White House went on the offensive.
“I didn’t make this up, no – I was part of a project when I was out of government that looked closely at Republican elected officials, how they portrayed themselves, their agenda, the a wing, in particular, of the Republicans. who espoused certain beliefs, starting with denial about the results of the 2020 election, and looking for an effective way to shorthand all of that for people,” he said.
The use of the term “MAGA,” Dunn said, “came out a lot from research, listening to people talk about what they thought was a problem with some of the Republican elected officials.”
Pressed to use “mega” and “ultra” as modifiers of MAGA, he added, “Well, it was MAGA, but, you know, you can always improve something.”