Kellyanne Conway’s repeated Hatch Act violations are only the beginning

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 13: White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway listens during a working lunch with governors on “workforce freedom and mobility” at the Cabinet Room of the White House June 13, 2019 in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump spoke about the administration’s work to overhaul occupational licensing laws, job training programs and child care policies at companies around the country. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The White House is demanding that a government watchdog withdraw a report recommending the dismissal of senior adviser Kellyanne Conway for repeatedly breaking a law preventing federal employees from making political statements.

The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) – unrelated to the Special Counsel investigation headed by Robert Mueller – is an independent government agency which enforces restrictions on the behaviour of federal employees. That includes the Hatch Act, a 1939 statute which prohibits employees of the executive branch (apart from the president and vice-president and a few other exceptions) from taking part in political activity or campaigns in their official capacity as federal staff or while on duty.