House Oversight Committee Considers Subpoenaing Kellyanne Conway

The House Oversight Committee is considering subpoenaing Kellyanne Conway if she fails to show up for Wednesday’s panel hearing on her alleged Hatch Act violations, according to a memo distributed Friday.

A panel hearing is set for Wednesday, June 26, 2019, at 10 a.m. to “examine the recommendation of the independent Office of Special Counsel (OSC) that President Trump remove Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway from federal service,” the memo states.

Conway has until Monday afternoon – 5 p.m. ET, specifically – to respond. The memo states the committee will hold another “business meeting” to consider a subpoena if Conway fails to show up.

Earlier in June, the Office of the Special Counsel determined that Conway violated the Hatch Act and recommended her immediate removal from public service. The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees – particularly those working in the executive branch – of using their position to engage in what could be perceived as political campaign activities. The OSC labeled Conway a “repeat offender” in the report.

In November 2017, Conway described then-Alabama Senate candidate Doug Jones (D) as “weak on crime” and “terrible for property owners” during an appearance on Fox and Friends.

Critics say she violated the Hatch Act again after weighing in on Joe Biden’s record on immigration and other issues.

“I’m going to talk about people’s records because I have the right to,” Conway said, according to the Hill. “I’m not concerned about Joe Biden.”

Conway, though, has remained relatively unfazed by the growing critiques.

“If you’re trying to silence me through the Hatch Act, it’s not going to work,” she told a reporter in May.

Conway is not the only federal official the OSC has found in violation of the Hatch Act. Presidential candidate Julián Castro had a similar experience in 2016 while serving as Obama’s HUD secretary, happily “taking off his HUD hat” during an interview with Katie Couric.

“Now, taking off my HUD hat for a second and just speaking individually, it is very clear that Hillary Clinton is the most experienced, thoughtful, and prepared candidate for president that we have this year,” Castro told Couric.

However, Castro believes their situations are different and that Conway should be removed regardless. Unlike Conway, Castro admitted the error of his ways and made immediate changes, he claimed.

“Instead of saying, ‘Look, I’m going to take these efforts to make sure that doesn’t happen again,’ she said, ‘To hell with that, I’m going to keep doing it.’ They said she had repeatedly done that. That’s the difference,” Castro explained during a June 13 town hall with Fox News.

“She did the wrong thing,” Castro added. “And I support the Office of Special Counsel’s determination that because she repeatedly violated it even though she was told it was a violation, she should be removed from office.”

Trump has said he has no plans to fire Conway.

“No, I’m not going to fire her, I think she’s a tremendous person, tremendous spokesperson, she’s loyal, she’s a great person,” Trump said in a June 14 interview with Fox and Friends.

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