As I said yesterday when Trump aide Dan Scavino publicly tweeted criticism of Justin Amash and calling on someone to “primary him,” I thought this was a YUGE mistake, and out of bounds for the Trump admin. I didn’t realize that Dan Scavino potentially also violated the Hatch Act in his bashing of Amash. I personally don’t care much for Justin Amash. I support the Freedom Caucus, but I don’t like all members of it. Amash is one. But calling for a primary challenge against a Republican like Amash will twiddling your thumbs when snakes like Paul Ryan are stabbing you in the back every day? Makes no sense.
| Did Dan Scavino violate Hatch Act targeting Amash? |
|---|
| |
The former chief ethics attorney for former President George W. Bush is calling on a top Trump adviser to be fired after allegedly violating the Hatch Act.
The alleged violation centers around a tweet that Trump senior adviser Dan Scavino made Saturday when he labeled Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) a “liability” and called on him to be primaried in next year’s congressional elections.
Scavino was lashing out at Amash for being a member of the House Freedom Caucus, the conservative wing of the House that the Trump administration has been bashing after their recent failure to pass health care reform. But according to Richard Painter, a University of Minnesota law professor who served as the chief ethics lawyer for the Bush White House from 2005 to 2007, Scavino violated federal law with the tweet.
“Look at the official photo on this page. Read the Hatch Act and fire this man NOW. Someone call OSC,” Painter tweeted Saturday, referencing the Office of Special Counsel, which oversees personnel violations.
If Scavino really wants some Republicans to be primaried, he should look no further than Paul Ryan, Kevin McCarthy, Ted Poe and other anti-Trump, pro-establishment Republicans. Trump should also seriously consider dumping Reince Priebus. He’s been a disaster in the first part of Trump’s admin. Priebus (who should have never been hired in the first place) needs to go.