Political Scandals

A White House Employee Is Raising Ethics Concerns With 1 Tweet

Social media director Dan Scavino called for the "defeat" of a Republican congressman in the 2018 primary.

A White House Employee Is Raising Ethics Concerns With 1 Tweet
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Another day, another White House employee raising ethics concerns. 

recent tweet by social media director Dan Scavino called for the "defeat" of a Republican congressman from Michigan in the 2018 primary. 

Former White House lawyers say Scavino's tweet violated the Hatch Act, which prevents federal employees from trying to sway political elections. 

But the White House claims Scavino didn't violate any rule because the tweet in question came from his personal account, not his official Twitter page. 

The Office of Special Counsel notes that under the Hatch Act, employees can "express their opinions" about a candidate, but they must not do so while in the workplace or from an account that includes their official title. Scavino's tweet was posted Saturday morning. 

But Scavino's description on his personal account has been recently changed. 

Internet archives show he used to include his White House title and even had a link to his official account. 

Scavino is just one in a recent string of White House employees caught up in possible ethics offenses. 

Steve Bannon has reportedly been talking with Breitbart News employees, despite signing an ethics pledge that says executive branch appointees can't communicate with former employers for two years. 

Kellyanne Conway gave Ivanka Trump a "free commercial" back in February. 

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Part Of Trump's Ethics Order Might Look Familiar

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And Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin "jokingly" told people to go see "Lego Batman" — a movie that he executive produced. 

The White House has yet to take disciplinary action against any of these employees.