White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre violated the Hatch Act, the federal law that limits certain political activities of federal employees to avoid influencing elections, a government watchdog has found.
According to the Office of Special Counsel, Jean-Pierre committed the violation last year before the 2022 midterm elections when she repeatedly referred to “mega MAGA Republicans” while acting in her role as press secretary of the White House.
“Because Ms. Jean-Pierre made the statements while acting in her official capacity, she violated the Hatch Act’s prohibition on using her official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the outcome of election,” the agency wrote in a June 7 letter shared with NBC News.
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White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre listens during a daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on June 12, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Jean-Pierre, who often cites the Hatch Act during the White House’s daily press briefing to avoid answering questions related to President Biden’s re-election campaign or other candidates, made the comments during a Nov. 2 briefing.
“Unfortunately, we have seen mega MAGA Republican officials who do not believe in the rule of law. They refuse to accept the results of a free and fair election and fan the flames of political violence through what they praise and what they they refuse to condemn. It remains important for the president to state forcefully and unequivocally that violence has no place in our democracy,” he said.
Biden previously coined the term “mega MAGA” on Oct. 21 while attacking Republican economic policies as “the mega MAGA runs out.”
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President Biden previously spoke of the “attack” on democracy by “MAGA Republicans” in a speech in August. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The agency’s letter described Jean-Pierre’s comments as “an inappropriate attempt to influence the vote,” but added that it “decided to close this matter without further action.”
The letter also noted that the White House counsel “did not believe at that time that Ms. Jean-Pierre’s comments were prohibited,” and said he had issued Jean-Pierre “a letter of warning.”
When reached for comment, a White House official told Fox News, “As has been made clear throughout the administration, we take the law seriously and we stand by the Hatch Act. We are reviewing that opinion.”
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White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House on May 23, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Drew Anger/Getty Images)
A person familiar with the complaint noted that the White House under former President Donald Trump used the phrase “Make America Great Again” for official purposes thousands of times to describe his administration’s policies. The phrase was the official slogan of Trump’s 2016 campaign.
They also noted that congressional Republicans similarly use the term “MAGA” for official purposes related to legislation and other policy proposals.
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Lindsay Kornick of Fox News contributed to this report.
Brandon Gillespie is an associate editor at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter at @brandon_cg.
