When in doubt – subpoena. That appears to be the campaign slogan of choice for Democrats as the nation girds its loins for what is bound to be another nasty presidential election cycle. Anything or anyone on the other side of the political aisle that can be prosecuted should expect to get slapped with a legal summons or worse. Hey, you never know what might stick and bear fruit come November 3, 2020.
Conway: Public Enemy Number One
On this week’s hit list of possible offenders is White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway. Why? She had the temerity to tell the House Oversight Committee to go pound sand.
To be more specific, Ms. Conway failed to appear for a House hearing regarding her “numerous violations” of The Hatch Act. In case you missed a detailed discussion of this American law during civics class in high school, The Hatch Act is supposed to “prevent pernicious political activities.” The bottom line here is that the law seeks to limit federal employees from political activities.
Kellyanne Conway
As the story goes, the office of special counsel sent a letter to the White House stating that Ms. Conway’s “disregard for the restrictions the Hatch Act places on executive branch employees is unacceptable.” In penning the opinion, special counsel Henry J. Kerner asserted that Conway is a “repeat offender” and that her “actions erode the principal foundation of our democratic system – the rule of law.” Kerner recommends Ms. Conway be removed from “federal service” and suffer “appropriate disciplinary action.”
When Ms. Conway did not show up for her public spanking, Democrats voted 25 to 16 to summon her to appear before their committee or else. That else will likely come in the form of a contempt citation. The president’s senior adviser appears to be involved in a push-me, pull-you between House Democrats and White House lawyers, who are at odds over whether she violated the law.
At the House hearing, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Mark Meadows (R-NC) got into it with committee chair Elijah Cummings (D-MD), making the case that the whole Hatch/Conway affair is nothing more than political gamesmanship. White House lawyers maintain that Ms. Conway’s First Amendment rights to free speech are being violated.
Without a doubt, Ms. Conway is a political animal. She is a longtime GOP political consultant, strategist, and pollster. She serves as a much prettier, Trumpian counter to George W. Bush’s Karl Rove. Despite a stumble or two, Conway has proven herself an effective spokesperson for administration policies. In addition to her pundit role, Conway is said to have excellent tactical skills when it comes to taking the pulse of the people. Could this, perchance, be Conway’s most egregious error?
In a nutshell, Kellyanne Conway would be an excellent person to remove from the president’s side as we sally on down the road to 2020. Elijah Cummings likely knows this all too well. Nevertheless, Democrats like to point out the supposed impartiality of special counsel Kerner. After all, Mr. Kerner was appointed by Mr. Trump and used to work for Republicans. He is in no way connected to former special counsel Robert Mueller; thus, they maintain he has no axe to grind.
Since its all lawyers all the time in the Swamp, this seems an opportune time to give the last word to Liberty Nation Legal Affairs Editor Scott Cosenza:
“Special Counsel Kerner may be correct about the letter of the law. It seems hard to imagine he honors its intent, however. Given that past senior advisors of presidents have been every bit as political as Conway, the Office of Special Counsel's newfound passion for ultra-strict adherence to the Hatch Act seems suspect.”
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