Shaub on Conway ethics violations: ‘Enough is enough’

The former director of the Office of Government Ethics called on President Trump to fire or suspend White House counselor Kellyanne Conway on Tuesday after a federal agency found Conway in violation of the Hatch Act.

In a statement from the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center where he serves as senior director, Walter Shaub accused Conway of making it “clear” that she has no intention of following government ethics practices.

Shaub also dismissed pushback from the White House directed at the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), which announced that Conway had violated the Hatch Act twice in her official capacity.

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“OSC is now the second federal agency to find Conway in violation of ethics-related provisions,” Shaub wrote. “Enough is enough. She has made clear that she’s not interested in following government ethics rules. It’s time for the President to act.”

The Hatch Act prohibits government employees, such as Conway, from influencing an election through their position in the administration.

The OSC informed the Trump administration Tuesday that Conway violated the provision during a pair of television appearances last year on Fox News and CNN when she blasted then-Democratic Senate candidate Doug Jones (Ala.) while espousing support for GOP candidate Roy Moore in front of the White House.

“The question now is whether the White House will uphold the Hatch Act, as it is up to the White House to decide how high-level employees like Conway should be disciplined. The willfulness of Conway’s violation makes clear that anything less than removal from the federal service or a lengthy unpaid suspension will not deter future misconduct on her part,” the Campaign Legal Center said in a release Tuesday.

The White House responded to the OSC in a statement Tuesday denying that Conway’s remarks last year on Fox and CNN were any more than an “obvious” statement of Trump’s views.

“Kellyanne Conway did not advocate for or against the election of any particular candidate. She simply expressed the president’s obvious position that he have people in the House and Senate, who support his agenda,” deputy White House press secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement.

“In fact, Kellyanne’s statements actually show her intention and desire to comply with the Hatch Act — as she twice declined to respond to the host’s specific invitation to encourage Alabamans to vote for the Republican,” he continued, referencing an interview Conway did on Fox.

Shaub, who had previously clashed with Trump over the president’s business interests, resigned in July, leaving office nearly six months before the end of his term.