White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tried to make an April Fool’s Day joke during the White House press briefing and it didn’t go over very well.
She tried to make a joke about The Hatch Act, of all things, during this presidential campaign season. KJP has been found in violation of the Act so that made her ‘joke’ rather awkward.
Here is a refresher on what exactly The Hatch Act is and why it became law:
The Hatch Act was signed into law in 1939 to keep federal employees from engaging in political activities while they were on the job. It was also designed to ensure federal employees don’t face political pressures as they perform their work. While numerous federal employees have been cited with violating the act over the years, high-ranking political appointees have rarely faced any repercussions.
The act was initially passed in reaction to a scandal during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Sponsored by, and named after, New Mexico Senator Carl A. Hatch, a Democrat nicknamed “Cowboy Carl,” the legislation defines political activity as “any activity directed toward the success or failure of a political party, candidate for partisan political office, or partisan political group. Violations of the Hatch Act carry serious penalties, which may result in disciplinary action or removal from Federal employment.”
KJP is frequently seen as an arrogant and out-of-touch spokesperson for the White House. This is one of those times. Her past violations of The Hatch Act were a sign of unprofessional behavior. It was also a very partisan way to conduct her press briefings. Allegedly, the president, her boss, serves all Americans, not just Democrats.
She delivered this statement during Monday’s White House press briefing:
“So President Biden is scheduled to announce he is revoking the Hatch Act,” she told the Press Corps. “So as a gift to all of you, so now I can actually take all your questions about 2024.” The joke was greeted with groans from the assembled reporters, as it should be from anybody who values transparency and rectitude in government.
KJP has been found to violate The Hatch Act twice by the independent Office of the Special Counsel (OSC). She did not receive any disciplinary action either time.
Watchdog group Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT) filed a complaint with OSC in November 2022. It was days before the midterm elections because KJP referenced “MAGA Republicans” repeatedly as she spoke against Republicans. OSC determined she violated The Hatch Act. In June 2023 OSC informed PPT that she “made those references to generate opposition to Republican candidates.” Accordingly, “Ms. Jean-Pierre violated the Hatch Act.”
There was no punishment issued but OSC issued government-wide guidance to reinforce the Act. Specifically, government workers were to avoid using the term “MAGA.’
Nonetheless, she persisted. On June 14, 2023, KJP issued a statement that disparaged Congressional Republicans’ budget proposals. She repeatedly used the term MAGA. Also on June 14, Axios reported that “Andrew Bates [Jean-Pierre’s subordinate] wrote in a memo that Republicans’ ‘main economic agenda item’ is ‘MAGA tax welfare for the richest Americans and giant corporations ….’” All this was just a week after the OSC guidance to federal employees.
PPT filed another complaint and in December 2023, OSC again found KJP and Bates violated the Act. The temper tantrums did not cause OSC to pursue the matter, though. At the time, OSC said it had “reason to believe that White House officials are abiding by the warning letter and advisory opinion.”
If disciplinary action isn’t taken, particularly on a repeat offender, it should come as no surprise that federal employees don’t follow the law.
PPT Director Michael Chamberlain issued a statement Tuesday.
“It’s hard to know which is worse, the press secretary’s joke or the arrogance that made her think it might be funny,” said PPT Director Michael Chamberlain. “The Hatch Act is an attempt to make sure politics ends at the federal agency door. To have any teeth, it must be enforced equally, no matter which party is in office. Ms. Jean-Pierre never faced consequences for two violations of the act, so she has no reason to treat it as other than a lame joke. Unfortunately, the joke’s on the public, who trust that the rules apply equally to everyone and that federal employees are not using their official roles to engage in partisan political activity.”
To be fair, at least 13 senior Trump administration officials were found in violation of The Hatch Act in 2020 as they hosted an RNC event at the White House. The event itself did not violate The Hatch Act but the administration officials did.
Ironically, now KJP uses The Hatch Act when she doesn’t want to ask a question from the press corps during White House briefings, whether the question truly falls within that category or not. The employees in Biden’s White House are not serious people. They do as they please and that starts at the top. Joe Biden even defies Supreme Court rulings like that of his grand scheme to bilk American taxpayers out of billions of dollars by continuing his student loan forgiveness program.
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