Reps. Don Beyer and Ted Lieu asked the U.S. Office of Special Counsel Monday to investigate whether White House senior adviser and President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, violated the Hatch Act, which prevents federal employees from using their office for political activities.
In a joint letter to Henry Kerner, the head of the OSC, the two Democratic representatives referenced a New York Times report that said Mr. Kushner organized a White House meeting to discuss the Trump campaign’s fundraising game plan in 2020.
This meeting reportedly included RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin, campaign manager Brad Parscale and “a group of big donors.”
“The stated purpose of the Hatch Act is to prevent federal civil servants from using their official authority to help elect candidates to office, and we have strong reason to believe that Jared Kushner is in violation of both the spirit and the letter of that Act,” Mr. Beyer and Mr. Lieu wrote.
Mr. Beyer and Mr. Lieu added Mr. Kushner’s violations should be investigated after Mr. Trump ignored an OSC recommendation to fire White House counselor Kellyanne Conway last week.
“The larger context of Trump Administration officials failing to comply, being previously reprimanded by OSC, and, in some cases, openly flouting Hatch Act requirements also argues against giving senior Administration officials benefit of the doubt when considering potential violations,” they added.
Mr. Kerner said Thursday that Mrs. Conway violated the Hatch Act on “numerous occasions” and should be removed from her White House position.
When asked if he would take the advice, Mr. Trump said he would be ignoring the OSC’s advice, citing it as a First Amendment issue.
“I think she’s a terrific person. She’s been a great spokesperson. She’s loyal. I think you’re entitled to free speech in this country,” Mr. Trump said on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.”
Dave Boyer contributed to this article.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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