A government watchdog will criticize White House counselor Kellyanne Conway's "unacceptable" and "unlawful" behavior while testifying before Congress this week.
The Office of Special Counsel recommended earlier this month that Conway be fired for "repeatedly" violating the Hatch Act, which limits the political activities federal employees can engage in, and Special Counsel Henry Kerner will discuss this while testifying before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Wednesday, The Daily Beast reports.
In an opening statement released on Monday, Kerner criticizes Conway for her "egregious and repeated Hatch Act violations," as well as her "unrepentant attitude," which he says are "unacceptable from any federal employee, let alone one in such a prominent position."
"Her conduct hurts both federal employees, who may believe that senior officials can act with complete disregard for the Hatch Act, and the American people, who may question the nonpartisan operation of their government," he writes.
Kerner goes on to again lay out why it was "inappropriate" and "unlawful" for Conway to "argue in support of President Trump's reelection and in opposition to the election of the Democratic Party's candidates for president" in her official capacity as a White House official. He also notes that the Office of Special Counsel has had to issue multiple reports about Conway's violations. "Ms. Conway's conduct reflects not a misunderstanding of the law, but rather a disregard for it," he therefore concludes.
Conway has denied that she violated the Hatch Act, saying in a Monday interview on Fox News, "they want to silence me." Trump has said he has no plans to fire Conway.
