John,
Jared Kushner is essentially running the Trump campaign from the White House.
That looks like a violation of federal law, and CREW has filed a Hatch Act complaint with the Office of Special Counsel about this apparent violation. Read it here.
The Hatch Act does allow senior political appointees paid by the White House to engage in some political activity while on duty or on government property. But because Kushner has not taken a salary, and because his work effectively running the campaign is likely extensive rather than occasional, that exception does not apply to him.
Kushner has reportedly been organizing campaign meetings, making decisions about staffing and spending, and scheduling meetings on polling with President Trump as recently as last month. And he’s apparently doing all of that from the West Wing. Does that feel right to you?
Of course, this is far from the first time a member of the Trump administration has violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits most officials from using their government positions for politics. Top officials like Nikki Haley, Dan Scavino, Kellyanne Conway, and Lynne Patton have all received reprimands, and in June 2019, OSC made the unprecedented recommendation that Conway be removed from federal service for her egregious and repeated Hatch Act violations.
President Trump has failed time and time again to take ethics laws seriously. We know that. But at CREW, we also know that these laws matter, and we’re going to keep holding the Trump administration accountable for ethical governance, no matter what.
Thank you,
Noah Bookbinder
Executive Director, CREW
