Biden's press secretary violated Hatch Act with slur on Trump movement, says OSC

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is being accused of violating the Hatch Act by repeatedly referring to “mega MAGA Republicans,” according to a government watchdog agency. 

The Office of Special Counsel determined that Jean-Pierre’s choice of words while referring to Republican candidates violates the Hatch Act, a law established to prevent federal employees from using their offices to influence elections. 

“Because Ms. Jean‐Pierre made the statements while acting in her official capacity, she violated the Hatch Act prohibition against using her official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election,” Ana Galindo‐Marrone, who leads the Office of Special Counsel’s Hatch Act Unit, wrote in a letter Wednesday obtained by NBC News. 

During a White House press conference on November 2, Jean-Pierre referred to “mega MAGA Republican officials who don’t believe in the rule of law,” and demeaned Republican candidates in other ways.

The OSC made an inquest into the press secretary’s comments after it received a complaint from the conservative watchdog group Protect the Public’s Trust. The watchdog group considered the remarks to be “an inappropriate attempt to influence the vote.”

Despite determining that Jean-Pierre violated the law, the Office of Special Counsel “decided to close this matter without further action,” claiming that her counsel might not have been aware that the remarks were prohibited. 

“We have decided not to pursue disciplinary action and have instead issued Ms. Jean‐Pierre a warning letter,” Galindo‐Marrone wrote.

“[I]t is unclear whether OSC’s contrary analysis regarding the use of ‘MAGA Republicans’ was ever conveyed to Ms. Jean‐Pierre,” she added.

White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement that Biden administration officials were reviewing the OSC’s decision. 

"As has been made clear throughout the administration, we take the law seriously and uphold the Hatch Act," Bates said. 

Jean-Pierre herself responded to the accusation by claiming that she did not consider the word to be political at the time, given that even Republicans themselves use the term before. 

"If you look at the archived Trump White House website, it contains about nearly 2,000 uses of ‘MAGA’ to describe policies and official agendas. Congressional Republicans have also used ‘MAGA’ to refer to policies and official agenda frequently for years now even, clearly, before we entered the administration."