On Wednesday, the White House said Counselor the President Kellyanne Conway did not violate the Hatch Act with her remarks concerning former Alabama justice Roy Moore.
President Trump’s principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah underlined that the veteran GOP pollster did not advocate for a certain candidate or encourage Alabama voters to vote for a specific candidate in the Senate race.
According to Shah, Conway was speaking about the presidential agenda and her commitment to it.
This election is for the people of Alabama to decide,
Shah said.
The White House response comes a few days after Conway criticized Democratic candidate Doug Jones in the Alabama Senate race. She urged Alabamians not to be “fooled” as Jones is against tax reform, and is “weak” in border security and crime.
Conway thinks Jones is “strong” only in raising taxes and could harm property owners very much.
Immediately after he remarks, Conway was asked if she advocated for GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore, a controversial candidate feared by the GOP establishment itself.
Conway replied that she is not backing Moore, but a candidate that could help the new tax bill pass. She firmly believes that the Democratic candidate is a “doctrinaire liberal”.
Kellyanne Conway Accused of Hatch Act violations
The former head of the Office of Government Ethics Walter Schaub announced that he filed a complaint against the presidential advisor about her comments. Schaub, who left the Trump administration over potential conflicts of interests among Trump’s Cabinet, said he wants the U.S. Office of Special Counsel to look into Conway’s claims.
The former official argues that Conway made the remarks on the White House’s grounds. So, it is “pretty clear” that the woman was making use of her official authority to influence the Senate election, Schaub tweeted.
I have filed a complaint with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which investigates Hatch Act violations. https://t.co/Mrm8al9nZz
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) November 22, 2017
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