- Karine Jean-Pierre and Andrew Bates warned about their use of 'MAGA'
- Government watchdog agency said it's a campaign slogan
- 'We take the law seriously and uphold the Hatch Act,' a White House official told DailyMail.com
The independent Office of Special Counsel said the two took actions 'contrary' to official guidance on the law when they slammed 'MAGA' Republicans' budget plan this year.
In their letter, first reported by NBC News, the office notes the violations came days after Jean-Pierre was warned she had violated the law intended to prevent federal employees from using their offices to influence elections.
This summer, the Office of Special Counsel notified government officials that 'MAGA' and similar terms were effectively off-limits for use as they were seen as campaign-related slogans.
The ruling came after OCS's June finding that Jean-Pierre was in violation of the Hatch Act when she repeatedly referred to 'MAGA Republicans' in the run-up to the 2022 midterm election. No action was taken against Jean-Pierre.
'MAGA' is the campaign slogan for former President Donald Trump. The OSC did say that the use of 'MAGAnomics' is permitted.
'We take the law seriously and uphold the Hatch Act,' a White House official told DailyMail.com.
Jean-Pierre, Bates and other officials repeatedly cite the Hatch Act in press briefings when declining to answer reporters' questions about President Joe Biden's re-election campaign or about Trump's candidacy.
But Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, and Bates, who is deputy White House press secretary, have used the word 'MAGA' repeatedly when talking about 'extreme MAGA Republicans' and their agenda.
The complaint against the duo was filed by a conservative watchdog group called Protect the Public's Trust, which is run by former Trump administration official Michael Chamberlain.
'Apparently, nobody takes the Hatch Act very seriously, at least nobody that matters. Ms. Jean-Pierre cites it frequently to avoid tough questions, but when she and her deputy received the initial warning from OSC, they doubled down,' Chamberlain told NBC News.
'They probably guessed there would be no consequences, and the OSC appears to have proven them correct.'
Several Trump administration figures - including adviser Kellyanne Conway - were found guilty of violating the Hatch Act during Trump's time in office.
At least 13 former Trump administration officials violated the law by intermingling campaigning with their official government duties, a government investigation found in November 2021.
Jean-Pierre, in particular, is a frequent invoker of the Hatch Act.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/poli...2b6d50ba56af56f&ei=33&fullscreen=true#image=2
In December 2023, she used it to avoid answering questions about whether Biden would return campaign donations from disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried
'I am covered by the Hatch Act, which I'm happy to say over and over again, because we believe in the rule of law here,' Jean-Pierre said in response.
In April, she cited the Hatch Act when she declined to comment on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announcing that he is challenging President Biden for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination.
And, in January, she cited the Hatch Act when refusing to answer if Biden would serve a full four-year second term.
'So, let me just say this – I'm not going to comment on the 2024 — he is a candidate,' Jean-Pierre said, adding she wanted to be careful. 'And we do follow the Hatch Act, so I want to be really, really mindful here.'
