CNN
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White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre violated the Hatch Act for using the term “mega MAGA” at the briefing room podium, the US Office of Special Counsel has determined, and received a warning letter.
Jean-Pierre was found to be in violation of the Hatch Act, a law that is supposed to prevent the federal government from influencing elections or conducting its activities in a partisan manner, when he said “mega MAGA Republican officials who don’t believe in the ‘rule of law’,” according to a letter from the OSC. The letter was addressed to Michael Chamberlain, a former Trump administration official and director of Protect the Public’s Trust, after Chamberlain filed a complaint that Jean-Pierre used the phrase “republican mega MAGA”.[s]” in an “improper attempt to influence the vote”.
“OSC has investigated your complaint and has concluded that Ms. Jean-Pierre violated the Hatch Act. However … we have decided not to take disciplinary action and have issued Ms. Jean-Pierre a warning letter,” OSC Hatch Act Unit Chief Ana Galindo-Marrone said in the letter on June 7 to Chamberlain, who served in the Department of Education during Donald Trump’s presidency.
Galindo-Marrone wrote: “OSC concluded that the timing, frequency and content of Ms. Jean-Pierre to the ‘MAGA Republicans’ established that he made these references to generate opposition to the Republican candidates. Consequently, making the references constituted political activity. Since Ms. Jean-Pierre made the statements while acting in his official capacity, violating the Hatch Act’s prohibition on 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 believe at the time” that such remarks were prohibited by the Hatch Act, and that it was “unclear” whether the OSC’s analysis “was ever transmitted to Madame Jean-Pierre.”
Jean-Pierre has worked hard during his tenure to prevent violations of the Hatch Act. He has refused to answer policy questions, citing the 1939 law, during more than 40 White House press conferences. 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 has been made clear throughout the administration, we take the law seriously and defend the Hatch Act. We are reviewing this opinion,” Bates said.
Jean-Pierre defended himself to reporters on Tuesday.
“So what I can say is that at that time I was given the signature, well, to use the terminology,” he said. “And, and I said this a few moments ago, the letter we got was from last week; we got this letter for something I said months ago, so it was retroactive.”
A Biden administration official also pointed to 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 White House’s official website. trump Thirteen senior Trump administration officials violated the Hatch Act, according to a report released by the OSC in November 2021.
“Mega-MAGA” and other similar terms were often used from the White House briefing room podium ahead of the 2022 midterm elections as the White House sought to contrast the aligned GOP factions with trump
Biden’s top adviser, Anita Dunn, discussed the decision to use the tongue twister. While she herself said she “didn’t coin it,” she told Axios in a conversation shortly before the election that she played a part in the decision to take advantage of the mandate as the White House went on the offensive.
“I didn’t coin it, no; I was part of a project when I was out of government that looked deeply at Republican elected officials, how they describe themselves, their agenda, one wing, in particular, of the Republicans. that had adopted certain beliefs, starting with the denial of the results of the elections in 2020 and looking for an effective way to abbreviate all this for the people,” he said.
The use of the term “MAGA,” Dunn said, “came very organically out of the research, hearing people talk about what they thought was the problem with some of these Republican elected officials.”
Pressed on the use of “mega” and “ultra” as modifiers of MAGA, she added, “Well, it was MAGA, but, you know, you can always improve something.”
