White House
senior economic adviser Gary Cohn is the
latest to join the revolving door of Donald Trump appointees who are running
for (or being pushed toward) the exits. One name we’d love to add to that list
is Kellyanne Conway.
EDITOR’S NOTE: In addition to Secretary of State Rex Tillotsen involuntary exit, Earlier today, Trump’s
long-time personal aide John McEntee was fired because of suspicions of “serious
financial crimes” according to the Wall
Street Journal. So, yeah, is there anyone there who isn’t corrupt. – Will Collette
Conway, the
senior adviser who loves to brag that she’s been offered the post
of communications director “many times,” was found to be in violation of the
Hatch Act, the law that forbids officials in the executive branch to campaign
as a part of their official duties.
This latest violation was in reference to appearances on (where else) Fox News, during which she advocated for the election of Alabama Republican and shopping-mall exile Roy Moore to the Senate.
This latest violation was in reference to appearances on (where else) Fox News, during which she advocated for the election of Alabama Republican and shopping-mall exile Roy Moore to the Senate.
The White House
Office of Special Counsel found that she overstepped the bounds of the Hatch
Act. Not that anything will happen to @KellyannePolls, who remains one of
Trump’s staunchest backers and can always be counted on to lie in the face
(remember her “alternative
facts” claims?) of
any cable TV interviewer.
The OSC’s letter
to Trump read:
"In passing this law, Congress intended to promote public confidence in the Executive branch by ensuring the federal government is working for all Americans without regard to their political views. Ms. Conway’s statements during the Fox & Friends and New Day interviews impermissibly mixed official government business with political views about candidates in the Alabama special election for U.S. Senate.”The punishment for the violation was left to the White House, which wasted little time making clear that there wouldn’t be any punishment.
“Public
confidence in the Executive branch.” There’s an oxymoron in the time of Trump.
With chartered jets, first-class air travel, $31,000 dining room sets, and $139,000 doors, there’s no reason for confidence anywhere. That doesn’t even include the guilty pleas and indictments of Trump officials that are being racked up by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. So far.
With chartered jets, first-class air travel, $31,000 dining room sets, and $139,000 doors, there’s no reason for confidence anywhere. That doesn’t even include the guilty pleas and indictments of Trump officials that are being racked up by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. So far.
Conway, of
course, had been found in violation of ethics rules before when she became a
shill for Ivanka Trump’s fashion line. Nothing happened to her then, either.
Nor did anything happen to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin when he promoted one of his own private ventures, The LEGO Batman movie.
Nor did anything happen to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin when he promoted one of his own private ventures, The LEGO Batman movie.
Which brings us
to the question: How egregious does an offense have to be to get fired from
this White House? Because there’s a long list of guilty parties, and most of
them are still hanging around.
The Hatch Act,
also called “An Act to Prevent Pernicious Political Activities,” was passed in
1939 in response to charges that some Democrats had used jobs in the Works
Progress Administration as rewards, also having those in WPA jobs as campaign
workers. The law was named for its sponsor, New Mexico Democratic Sen. Carl
Hatch.
Full disclosure:
Our daughter actually worked for the Obama White House for six years, albeit in
a lower-level capacity. But she had to undergo a rigorous security clearance,
with FBI agents visiting our neighbors (she was not long out of college) to
find out information about her. Neighbors jokingly asked us if she was signing
up to work for the CIA.
But when it came
to the Hatch Act, there was no question about the delineation of roles. Every
employee was told in no uncertain terms: You. Do. Not. Campaign. As. Part. Of.
Your. Official. Job.
Every employee attended a mandatory reminder session every year. No political phone calls from White House phones. No email from government computers. The list of advisory rules went on and on.
Every employee attended a mandatory reminder session every year. No political phone calls from White House phones. No email from government computers. The list of advisory rules went on and on.
Of course, that
was then, under President Obama, who obviously thought that laws applied to him
and to those his administration hired. During the Trump years, there apparently
are no rules.
Some complain
that the Hatch Act is outmoded in today’s world, especially in an age of
constant TV presence and social media. Maybe that’s true. But it’s still the
law.
The WaPo piece
adds that two other administration officials also were found to have violated
the Hatch Act in some of their tweets backing or attacking certain candidates:
U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and social media director Dan Scavino.
Apparently nothing happened to them, either.
Apparently nothing happened to them, either.
Now that Trump
has officially launched his re-election campaign, the White House Office of
Special Counsel took the step of issuing new guidance:
“For example, while on duty or in the workplace,” the guidelines read, “employees may not: wear, display, or distribute items with the slogan ‘Make America Great Again’ or any other materials from President Trump’s 2016 or 2020 campaigns; use hashtags such as #MAGA or #ResistTrump in social media posts or other forums; or display non-official pictures of President Trump.”
HA! Yeah, like
that will stop any Trump appointee from doing any of those
things. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will probably wear a red “Keep America Great”
hat while holding the press briefings.
Columnist
Jennifer Rubin, also writing in The Washington Post,
makes the point that Trumpland stopped worrying about following any rules from
Day One.
The expectation
of compliance with the law and concern about the appearance of impropriety are
entirely absent from this administration for one very simple reason: Trump has
set the standard and the example. Don’t bother with the rules. If
caught, just make up stuff. …
The brazenness
with which this administration tramples rules designed to prevent both
corruption and the misuse of taxpayers’ money for personal or political
purposes should not surprise, but it should draw our condemnation. Congress has
encouraged this lawlessness by failing in its fundamental duty of oversight and
in failing to beef up ethics rules.
Going forward,
no president should be able to withhold release of his tax returns, or maintain
control of active businesses.
No president should allow his unqualified family members to hold high government posts — especially when they cannot even qualify for a security clearance. No president should be allowed to enrich himself while in office. (It is bad enough that they do it after they leave office.)
No president should allow his unqualified family members to hold high government posts — especially when they cannot even qualify for a security clearance. No president should be allowed to enrich himself while in office. (It is bad enough that they do it after they leave office.)
We won’t be
holding our collective breaths waiting for any of that.
Son-in-law Jared
Kushner, who incredulously still has a job as Trump’s senior adviser despite
the yanking of his “temporary” top security clearance, is now said to have a
security clearance lower than the White House calligrapher.
But let’s give
the calligrapher a pass. The calligrapher, Patricia Blair, has been in that
office for many years and has served three presidents. The only reason she has
any security clearance at all is that she needs access to the president’s
schedule to ensure the accuracy of invitations.
So at least when
it comes to beautiful handwriting, maybe the White House has some standards after
all.
