Watchdog Group Files Formal Complaint Against Ivanka Trump For Violating Hatch Act
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint with the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) on Thursday that claims Ivanka Trump violated the Hatch Act. The complaint comes just weeks after the OSC urged Donald Trump to remove White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway from office for similar violations, according to The Hill.
According to CREW, Ms. Trump has made several tweets over the past year that appeared to be political in nature. The Hatch Act bars federal employees from engaging in elections while acting in their official capacity.
The most recent violation was a tweet in which Ms. Trump appears next to a Donald Trump campaign poster that says “Make America Great Again” and promises that the best is yet to come in her father’s term as president.
“By blatantly using her office for politics right after the Office of Special Counsel recommended her colleague be fired for repeatedly acting similarly, Ivanka Trump has basically thumbed her nose at the OSC and the rule of law. Never before have we witnessed this level of illegal politicized behavior, and it must not be allowed to continue,” said CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder.
He added that this type of behavior appears to be common within the Trump administration.
“It has become clear that this rampant abuse of public office is not a problem of ‘one bad apple’ but rather a key feature of the Trump White House,” he said.
Four years ago today, I introduced my father @realDonaldTrump when he launched a Campaign that would forever change America.
Because of his courage, Americans are safer and more prosperous…and the best is yet to come!
Happy Father’s Day! ?? pic.twitter.com/ygcbg3URQx
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) June 16, 2019
The organization also says that Ms. Trump, who works in her father’s White House as a senior aide and adviser, used her government Twitter account to reach out to her 6.5 million followers with a pro-President Trump message on several occasions.
The OSC recent called for President Trump to remove Ms. Conway from her position as White House counsel after she sent several messages on social media criticizing several of Trump’s opponents in the upcoming 2020 race.
The 17-page report was sent to the White House urging the president to remove her from her position as an example to all federal employees, according to The Hill. The office said that leaving her violations unpunished would send a message that other employees don’t need to worry about adhering to the Hatch Act and would erode the rule of law.
President Trump said that he would not remove Ms. Conway from office, but the House Oversight and Reform Committee vowed to hold a hearing on her alleged violations.
