White House Pushes Back as Special Counsel Office Demands the Firing of Kellyanne Conway
The Trump Administration is pushing back on calls for White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway to be fired.
The US Office of Special Counsel (OSC), a government accountability agency, says she is a "repeat offender" of the Hatch Act which limits the political activities of federal employees.
The Special Counsel's Office – not affiliated with Robert Mueller – issued a report to the president saying Conway violated the law by criticizing Democrat presidential candidates in her capacity as a federal employee.
The White House says the move was influenced by media pressure and liberal organizations, arguing the OSC didn't conduct its investigation in good faith because it broke off communication with Conway and wouldn't allow her to respond to accusations.
The White House issued a nine-page letter saying the report was based on "...numerous grave legal, factual, and procedural errors," and argued that the OSC's "unprecedented actions against Kellyanne Conway are deeply flawed and violate her constitutional rights to free speech and due process."
The legal statement continues, "The lack of due process that OSC provided in preparing this report indicates a complete disregard for the fundamental rights of individuals serving in the Executive Branch."
Conway reportedly said if they were trying to silence her with the Hatch Act, "it's not going to work."
The Hatch Act is named for former Senator Carl A. Hatch, a Democrat from New Mexico, and was enacted in 1939. It prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activities while they are on the job.
