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RandySF

(59,245 posts)
Fri Jun 9, 2017, 01:51 PM Jun 2017

White House social-media director Dan Scavino violated Hatch Act

White House social-media director Dan Scavino Jr. violated a federal law that bars public officials from using their positions for political activity when he urged President Trump's supporters to defeat a GOP congressman, the Office of Special Counsel has concluded.

As a result, Scavino was issued a warning letter and advised that additional violations of the law could result in further action, according to a June 5 letter that the office sent to the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), which filed a complaint about Scavino's tweet.

Scavino's April 1 message called on the “#TrumpTrain” to take out Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) in an upcoming primary, referring to him as “a big liability.” Amash is a member of the House Freedom Caucus, a group that Trump had blamed at the time for derailing legislation that would have repealed parts of the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

Even though Scavino was tweeting from his personal account, his page at the time listed his official White House position and featured a photo of him inside the Oval Office.

The Office of Special Counsel concluded that his tweet violated the Hatch Act, which restricts government employees from attempting to influence an election through their official authority.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/06/09/white-house-social-media-director-dan-scavino-violated-hatch-act-with-tweet-targeting-gop-congressman/?utm_term=.e885473265c5

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White House social-media director Dan Scavino violated Hatch Act (Original Post) RandySF Jun 2017 OP
Noteworthy takeaway: Tommy_Carcetti Jun 2017 #1
Lock him up. Lock him up. Lock him up. GoCubsGo Jun 2017 #2

Tommy_Carcetti

(43,199 posts)
1. Noteworthy takeaway:
Fri Jun 9, 2017, 01:54 PM
Jun 2017

"Even though Scavino was tweeting from his personal account, his page at the time listed his official White House position and featured a photo of him inside the Oval Office. "

Considering that Trump's @realdonaldtrump account lists him as president and features a large picture of Air Force One, this goes against the argument that his Twitter account is private and does not constitute an official government account.

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