CONTACT: Jordan Libowitz
202-408-5565 | [email protected]

Washington—Presidential adviser Jared Kushner appears to have violated the Hatch Act, according to a complaint filed today by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) with the Office of the Special Counsel (OSC).

Kushner likely violated the Hatch Act in a press release sent out by the Trump presidential campaign this morning. Kushner gave a quote about the president’s reelection campaign and is identified as “Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President, and President Trump’s son-in-law.” The Hatch Act prohibits the use of official title for political purposes.

“The rules are clear that government officials aren’t allowed to use their positions for campaign activity,” CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder said. “He may have a close relationship with the president, but the rules still apply to Jared Kushner.”

The Trump administration has shown a pattern of Hatch Act violations. Following previous CREW complaints, both Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and White House Director of Social Media Dan Scavino Jr. were reprimanded for Hatch Act violations. Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway also received ethics counseling following a CREW complaint over her violation of federal ethics regulations for using her official position to promote Ivanka Trump products.

“At this point, it is abundantly clear that there is a total disregard for ethics in this administration,” Bookbinder said. “There have been far too many violations, and this pattern cannot be allowed to continue.”