Biden chief of staff warned on Hatch Act violation
By The Citizen on October 27, 2022
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White House chief of staff Ron Klain was warned about violating rules that prohibit government officials from engaging in campaign activity in their official capacity after he retweeted a political message on his government Twitter account.
According to the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), Klain retweeted a post from a Democratic political action committee in May in violation of the Hatch Act. Though the message touched on infant formula deliveries, it also included a call to purchase Democratic-branded merchandise.
The conservative legal group America First Legal, which is led by former Trump White House aide Stephen Miller, sent a letter to the independent federal watchdog demanding it look into the retweet.
Klain took the message down upon hearing of the complaint against him and received a warning letter for the violation, according to the OSC.
“Ron is very careful and takes the Hatch Act very seriously in his media appearances and his use of Twitter, but he got it wrong this time and he tweeted something that was political,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One. “He fixed it as soon as it was pointed out, and takes the warning to be more careful seriously. That’s very different than the prior crew here at the White House before us previously that blatantly, openly and carelessly violated the Hatch Act repeatedly.”
Miller, the president of America First Legal, was himself deemed in violation of the Hatch Act ahead of the 2020 presidential election, along with a number of other Trump administration officials.
The Hill has reached out to the OSC, which monitors for violations of the Hatch Act, for further comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Updated at 1:55 p.m.
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