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White house chief of staff Ron Klain walks to the South Lawn of the White House to attend an event in Washington, D.C., on April 8. (Andrew Harnik / AP)

Biden's Top Aide Gets Scolding Letter Sent to Him After Violating Federal Law

By The Associated Press October 27, 2022 at 10:58am

President Joe Biden’s chief of staff violated the law by retweeting a political message on his government Twitter account, and a warning letter was sent to him, according to a memo from the Office of Special Counsel. Top aide Ron Klain “got it wrong this time” and will be more careful, the White House said Thursday.

The memo, dated Wednesday, said Klain ran afoul of the Hatch Act, which prohibits government officials from using their official roles to influence elections, including supporting candidates, while acting in their official capacities. The message Klain retweeted on May 22 from STRIKE PAC, a Democratic group, was about delivering infant formula to Americans. But the message also included the encouragement, “Get your Democrats Deliver merch today!”

Klain removed the retweet as soon as he was notified of the complaint. No disciplinary action will be pursued and the office, an independent government watchdog that monitors violations of the Hatch Act, considers the matter closed. Klain was warned to be more careful in the future.

The conservative legal group America First Legal, led by Donald Trump adviser Stephen Miller, complained about the tweet and sought an investigation.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that “we are not perfect, but our violations have been few.”

“Ron is very careful and takes the Hatch Act very seriously in his media appearances and his use of Twitter, but he got it wrong this time,” she said. “He fixed it as soon as it was pointed out and took the warning to be more careful seriously.”

Jean-Pierre often cites the Hatch Act in deflecting political questions during news briefings. Earlier this week, she was asked whether Biden was doing everything he can possibly do to get Democrats across the finish line in the Nov. 8 elections.

“I have to be careful of what I say, because we do respect the Hatch Act here in this administration,” she said.

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Biden administration, Politics, Ron Klain, U.S. News, WJ Wire

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