'She can refer to the Trump administration in the past and talk about Republicans, although calling them MAGA Republicans is a bit excessive.' 'If she wants to talk about the Trump administration having a different policy, that's fine,' said Painter, who served in the George W. The key distinction, argues former White House chief ethics lawyer Richard Painter, is whether Jean-Pierre is talking about a current candidate for president. The administration also frequently takes partisan shots at Trump and 'MAGA' Republicans, such as dubbing the House's Limit, Save, Grow Act the 'Default on America Act' last week. The press corps has been frustrated by the act plenty of times before, but the confusion has ramped up now that the White House is starting to peel off staff to fulfill campaign duties.

And I'm just not going to speak to it.'Īnd in the third, a reporter asked Jean-Pierre if she had violated the Hatch Act by talking about Trump in the past, to which she replied, 'absolutely not.' 'And you're specifically talking about what could potentially happen in that race.

'As you just laid out yourself, is a candidate for 2024,' she said. Jean-Pierre responded by saying with a laugh, 'that's what you think.' After a lengthy back-and-forth with the reporter, she refused to directly answer the question, which was about how much Biden pays attention to former President Donald Trump. In the second, the reporter began by explaining that it was 'not a Hatch Act-type question' being asked. 'I don't have anything to share on anything that's related to 2024,' Jean-Pierre said. In the first, the reporter said the question was about the Hatch Act itself and whether or not Biden would try to separate his job as president from his job as a candidate. On April 21, there were three different exchanges where the act was mentioned. 'You've heard me over the past couple of weeks and months, probably painfully so, trying to make sure that we respect the rule of law and not to break the Hatch Act.'įor reporters covering the administration, it has indeed been painful at times. 'This is an administration and a president that believes in the rule of law,' White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the day Biden announced his reelection bid. But the Biden White House may be the first to face accusations of using it too much.īIDEN LOOKS TO DEFY ABYSMAL POLLING IN 2024 REELECTION BID The act prohibits government employees from engaging in overt political campaigning and has tripped up many previous administrations. The Hatch Act is drawing renewed attention now that President Joe Biden is officially running for reelection.

Let me hold you alexandria house