Government Watchdog Concludes Karine Jean-Pierre Violated The Hatch Act

This federal legislation, established in 1939, seeks to prevent the exploitation of executive branch employees' official authority or influence to meddle with or affect the outcome of an election.

The violation pertains to Jean-Pierre's statements during the lead-up to the 2022 midterm elections, where she consistently referred to Republican candidates as "mega MAGA Republicans." According to a recent NBC News report, the OSC identified this rhetoric as a breach of the Hatch Act.

In a letter dated June 7, Ana Galindo-Marrone, the head of the OSC's Hatch Act Unit, pointed out, "Because Ms. Jean-Pierre made the statements while acting in her official capacity, she violated the Hatch Act prohibition against using her official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election." The OSC further stressed that Jean-Pierre's comments were "an inappropriate attempt to influence the vote."

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While acknowledging the violation, the OSC has closed this issue without further action. The body recognized that White House attorneys did not perceive Jean-Pierre's comments as violating the law at the time.

June 13, 2023

This situation arose from a complaint lodged by the conservative watchdog group Protect the Public's Trust in November, following a White House briefing where Jean-Pierre initially used the contentious phrase. Jean-Pierre stated during the briefing, "Unfortunately, we have seen mega MAGA Republican officials who don't believe in the rule of law. They refuse to accept the results of free and fair elections and fan the flames of political violence through what they praise and refuse to condemn."

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President Biden, who first employed the term "mega MAGA" in an October speech criticizing Republican economic policies as "mega MAGA trickle down," has been silent on the issue.

Unfortunately for the Biden administration, Jean-Pierre isn't the first official to contravene the Hatch Act. In April, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra was found to violate the legislation after he publicly supported Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla's re-election campaign.

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Then-White House chief of staff Ron Klain also found himself on the wrong side of the law when he retweeted a post urging people to buy merchandise from partisan Democratic group Strike PAC. Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki also admitted contravening the law in 2021 by advocating for Virginia Democrat Terry McAuliffe's gubernatorial campaign.

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While violations of the Hatch Act can result in fines of up to $1,000 and potential bans from federal employment, the typical punishments are much less severe, often amounting to unwanted public attention. Thus, the outcome of this situation remains to be seen.