Conway not fit for office, agency says
WASHINGTON — The Office of Special Counsel on Thursday recommended the removal of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway from federal office for violating the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in political activity in their work.
The report, submitted to President Donald Trump, found that Ms. Conway violated the Hatch Act on numerous occasions by “disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in her official capacity during television interviews and on social media.” The agency described her as a “repeat offender.”
Special Counsel Henry Kerner, a Trump appointee, called his advice to fire an appointee of Ms. Conway’s level “unprecedented.”
“You know what else is unprecedented? Kellyanne Conway’s behavior,” Mr. Kerner said.
The decision about whether to remove Conway is up to Mr. Trump. A senior White House official said the president is unlikely to punish Ms. Conway and instead will defend her. The White House counsel called for the agency to withdraw its recommendation; the request was declined.
The White House said the agency’s view of Ms. Conway’s actions was “deeply flawed” and violated “her constitutional rights to free speech and due process.”
Ms. Conway has brushed off the findings: “Blah, blah, blah,” she said in May when asked about the violations.
Suspect wanted in Pa.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — U.S. prosecutors said Thursday that one suspect in the shooting of former Red Sox superstar David Ortiz is believed to be wanted in Pennsylvania for attempted homicide.
Berks County District Attorney John Adams said he believes Luis Rivas-Clase to be the suspect wanted for a Reading, Pa., shooting in April 2018. State authorities released a mug shot of Mr. Rivas-Clase that strongly resembles the suspect in an image provided by Dominican authorities.
Mr. Ortiz was shot in the back at a bar in the Dominican Republic on Sunday and is now in Boston recovering from surgery. Dominican officials announced Wednesday that they had detained the suspected gunman and five accomplices.
Biel: I’m not ‘anti-vax’
When Jessica Biel suddenly appeared on Twitter this week with opponents of vaccination legislation at the California Capitol, it ignited a social media storm over whether the actress had joined a campaign against the legislation amid a nationwide measles outbreak.
In an Instagram post Thursday, Ms. Biel said she was not an “anti-vaxxer” but is against measures to seal up state immunization laws.
“I am not against vaccinations — I support children getting vaccinations and I also support families having the right to make educated medical decisions for their children alongside their physicians,” she wrote.
The legislation seeks to make it harder for doctors to grant exemptions to state immunization regulations.
Hunter pleads guilty
SAN DIEGO — Years of cavalier spending of her husband’s political contributions culminated in a guilty plea Thursday for Margaret Hunter, the wife of Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter, who was co-indicted last year in a sweeping campaign finance investigation.
In a federal court, Mrs. Hunter formally admitted that she illegally used thousands of dollars in campaign donations for her personal expenses. She pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy, and faces up to five years in federal custody and a $250,000 fine.