Psaki mother on Virginia’s gubernatorial race after being hit by an ethical complaint
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday refused to discuss Virginia’s gubernatorial run after a government watchdog filed an ethical complaint accusing her of violating the Hatch Act by appearing to support Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe.
Asked about President Biden’s trip to campaign for Mr. McAuliffe later in the day, and if she is surprised by the tightness of the race, Mrs Psaki avoided the questions.
“I’m learned my lesson,” she said at the White House daily press briefing. “I will not make any policy from here or political analysis.”
“I leave the political analysis to my friends at DNC,” she later added.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics (CREW), a left-wing watchdog group, filed a complaint with the Office of Special Counsel this month to get an inquiry into whether Ms. Psaki violated federal law, which prohibits federal employees from using their positions to campaign. for political candidates.
“The last administration systematically co-opted the government for the presidential re-election. While this behavior does not come close to rising to the level of the Trump administration’s heinous crimes, it does not mean we should be relaxed about complying with an important ethical law,” he said. CREW President Noah Bookbinder in a statement: “The Biden administration should not follow the Trump administration that way.”
In an email to The Washington Times on October 15, Ms. Psaki to be more careful in the future.
“While the president has publicly expressed his support for McAuliffe, we will leave it to the press and campaign to comment on the race. I take ethics very seriously and will choose my words more carefully in the future,” she wrote.
Kayleigh McEnany, who served as press secretary in the Trump White House, last week accused the media of giving Ms. Psaki a free pass as she appeared to be violating the Hatch Act.
“Why does the media not hold @PressSec responsible for potential Hatch Act violations? She has twice spoken for political candidates from the rostrum,” she tweeted. and separated from the podium. “
During the Trump administration, CREW and others filed dozens of complaints accusing administration officials of violating the Hatch Act. Ms. McEnany was criticized for both acting as Mr. Trump’s press secretary and adviser on his 2020 campaign.
In 2019, the Office of Special Counsel recommended that White House adviser Kellyanne Conway be fired for repeatedly violating the Hatch Act by criticizing Democratic candidates while speaking in her official capacity.
Earlier this year, the special adviser concluded that Housing and Urban Development Minister Marcia Fudge violated the Hatch Act when she discussed the election to the Ohio Senate in 2022 during a briefing in the White House.
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