White House Official's Political Tweet Was Illegal, Agency Says - The New York Times - 0 views
-
White House Official’s Political Tweet Was Illegal, Agency Says
-
WASHINGTON — Dan Scavino Jr., the White House director of social media, violated a federal law that prohibits political activity by government employees, the federal agency empowered to enforce the law has concluded, citing the tweet Mr. Scavino sent in April calling for the defeat of a Republican member of Congress who has been critical of President Trump.
-
The feud between Mr. Scavino and Representative Justin Amash, Republican of Michigan, escalated during the debate over the effort to roll back President Barack Obama’s health care program, as Mr. Amash was among the conservative Freedom Caucus members who questioned the initial proposal.
- ...6 more annotations...
-
“Bring it on. I’ll always stand up for liberty, the Constitution & Americans of every background” — in a tweet that also linked to Mr. Amash’s campaign fund-raising website, also a possible violation.
-
“The law is clear that government officials can’t use their official positions for political or campaign activity,” Mr. Bookbinder said on Friday, after his organization released the letter. “It is important to maintain real lines between government and politics and the Office of Special Counsel’s position makes clear they are going to be active to protect those lines.”
-
The federal law puts no limits on the ability of federal officials to take positions that are critical of policies supported by others.
-
What happens more often is federal employees accept settlements that often include suspensions or resignation, without a formal charge. Advertisement Continue reading the main story
-
Mr. Scavino, however, has been more careful in his tweets, the Office of Special Counsel said in its letter to CREW. “A review of Mr. Scavino’s personal Twitter account since that time did not reveal any new violations,” the letter from the agency said.