Kellyanne Conway got herself into another ethical dilemma when she appeared to take sides in the hotly contested Alabama Senate race earlier this week _ and now multiple former ethics officials are calling for her ouster.
The controversial presidential counselor blasted Alabama Democratic Senate candidate Doug Jones as "weak" and "terrible" during an interview on the White House lawn Monday. In the same interview, Conway offered subtle support for Jones' opponent, accused sexual predator Roy Moore _ and President George W. Bush's former ethics director claims those comments should get her fired.
"She has violated the Hatch Act by using her position to take sides in a partisan election," Richard Painter tweeted Wednesday. "That is a firing offense."
The Hatch Act bars White House employees _ except the president and the vice president _ from "using their official authority or influence to affect the outcome of an election."
Ethics czars demand Kellyanne Conway's ouster over Moore comments
Painter's claim was backed up by President Barack Obama's former ethics czar, Walter Shaub, who filed a formal Hatch Act complaint with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel on Wednesday.
"She's standing in front of the White House," Shaub tweeted. "It seems pretty clear she was appearing in her official capacity when she advocated against a candidate."
In addition to slamming Jones, Conway all but endorsed Moore, telling the interviewer that "we want the votes in the Senate to get this tax bill through" _ a bill that Moore supports.
But White House spokesman Raj Shah pushed back against the accusations lobbed by Shaub and Painter.
"Ms. Conway did not advocate for or against the election of a candidate and specifically declined to encourage Alabamans to vote a certain way," Shah told the Daily News in an email. "She was speaking about issues and her support for the President's agenda."
Painter dismissed Shah's defense and pointed out that this is "strike two" for Conway.
The Office of Government Ethics reprimanded her after she went on national television in February and promoted Ivanka Trump products after a number of retailers stopped hawking her fashion line.
"Go buy Ivanka's stuff is what I would tell you," Conway said at the time. "I'm going to give a free commercial here. Go buy it today, everybody."
