White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Monday night that she is not worried about defying a subpoena from the House Oversight and Reform Committee regarding her Hatch Act violations.
Mrs. Conway added she’s not afraid of being held in contempt by Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Maryland Democrat and committee chairman, who threatened to do so if she didn’t show up for testimony by July 25.
“I’m concerned that there is such a politicization and weaponization of this thing called the Hatch Act. If you go back and look at some of the things that are in the original report, they are just ripped from the headlines. They’re not my opinions,” she said on Fox News’ “Hannity.”
The Office of Special Counsel recommended that Mrs. Conway be removed from government because she “violated the Hatch Act using her personal Twitter account.”
The 1939 Hatch Act prevents many employees in the executive branch from engaging in politics, with the law saying they may not “use [their] official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election.”
When Fox News’ Sean Hannity asked whether her removal was recommended because she liked the president, Mrs. Conway said it’s also her ability to communicate Mr. Trump’s agenda to U.S. citizens.
“I’m also effective in explaining his policies to Americans. Everybody knows that … they are just mad. They know that I helped the president who got elected all by himself, but I’m still here talking about his policies,” Mrs. Conway said, adding she “would like to testify.”
“I have nothing to hide. I’ve done nothing wrong,” she said, “They are not going to take away my First Amendment rights. I’m immune from testifying.”
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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