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Washington (CNN)The US Office of Special Counsel announced Tuesday that White House aide Kellyanne Conway violated the Hatch Act on two occasions by "advocating for and against candidates" in last year's Alabama Senate special election. In a new report, the OSC special counsel, Henry Kerner, pointed to Conway's TV interviews conducted in her "official capacity" in November and December of last year. The agency said Conway "impermissibly mixed official government business with political views about candidates in the Alabama special election." >P> One of the two interviews was on CNN's "New Day," and the second was on Fox News' "Fox...

During the conversation, according to the report, Kerry asked Agha to convey a message to Abbas and ask him to "hold on and be strong.".... Tell him, he told Agha, "that he should stay strong in his spirit and play for time, that he will not break and will not yield to President Trump's demands." ....According to Kerry, Trump will not remain in office for a long time. It was reported that within a year there was a good chance that Trump would not be in the White House. He asked Abbas, through Agha, not to attack the US or...

Former Secretary of State John Kerry recently told a confidant of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that he is considering a second run for the presidency in 2020. Kerry ran unsuccessfully against President George W. Bush in 2004. His comments, reported by the Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv, came during a London discussion about the Middle East peace process with Hussein Agha, a Lebanese academic who is close to Abbas. Kerry, 74, said his advanced age wouldn't be an impediment to mounting another White House bid, and urged Agha to tell Abbas to 'stay strong' and 'play for time' while Trump is...

ormer Secretary of State John Kerry reportedly tried to meddle in Middle East peace talks, allegedly telling a close associate of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas not to “yield to President Trump’s demands.” Israeli news outlet Maariv reported on the apparent meeting between Kerry and Hussein Agha in London, where the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee also reportedly floated a possible encore bid in 2020. But in the conversation, Kerry reportedly told Agha to share a message with Abbas – urging him to “hold on and be strong” during talks with the Trump administration and “play for time ... [and] not...

Former Secretary of State John Kerry is under fire for allegedly urging Palestinian leaders to hold firm against President Trump’s demands because he won’t be in office for long.But former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Thursday he doubted Kerry would have given such “anti-American” and “stunningly unpatriotic” advice to the Palestinians.Kerry has not responded publicly to claims, first reported by the Israeli daily Ma’ariv, that he made the comments during a recent meeting in London with Hussein Agha, a longstanding confidante of Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Agha reportedly briefed P.A. officials in Ramallah afterwards on the wide-ranging conversation.According...

Maariv reported that former US secretary of state John Kerry met in London with a close associate of PA President Mahmoud Abbas, Hussein Agha, for a long and open conversation about a variety of topics. Agha apparently reported details of the conversation to senior PA officials in Ramallah. A senior PA official confirmed to Maariv that the meeting took place. *** During the conversation, according to the report, Kerry asked Agha to convey a message to Abbas and ask him to “hold on and be strong.” Tell him, he told Agha, “that he should stay strong in his spirit and...

Abbas would do well to study Ambassador Haley's remarks carefully and disregard Kerry's faux diplomacy Former Secretary of State John Kerry reportedly sought to undermine the Trump administration’s current policy in dealing with the nihilist Palestinian leadership. According to an article appearing in Maariv, as quoted by the Jerusalem Post, Kerry met a senior Palestinian leader, Hussein Agha, in London recently and told him to convey a clandestine message to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The message was that Abbas should “play for time” and “not yield to President [Donald] Trump’s demands.” Kerry reportedly predicted that President Trump would not be...

The FBI said in documents released Friday that Deputy Director Andrew McCabe did not have any role in the probe into Hillary Clinton's private email server while his wife ran as a Democrat for state office in Virginia. The documents note that Jill McCabe announced her candidacy for state Senate in Virginia in March 2015, while Andrew McCabe's role as deputy director started in February 2016, three months after his wife lost her electoral bid. Andrew McCabe had asked ethics officials if his wife's candidacy would lead to a potential conflict of interest while he was working as an assistant...

The former US Secretary of State also surprised his interlocutor by saying he was seriously considering running for president in 2020. By BEN CASPIT/MAARIV January 24, 2018 08:08 The former US Secretary of State also surprised his interlocutor by saying he was seriously considering running for president in 2020. . . . During the conversation, according to the report, Kerry asked Agha to convey a message to Abbas and ask him to "hold on and be strong." Tell him, he told Agha, "that he should stay strong in his spirit and play for time, that he will not break and...

Shortly before last year’s election, FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe wrote an email on his official government account stating that the Hillary Clinton email probe had been given “special” status, according to documents released Wednesday. McCabe’s Oct. 23, 2016, email to press officials in the FBI said the probe was under the control of a small group of high-ranking people at the FBI’s headquarters in Washington. “As I now know the decision was made to investigate it at HQ with a small team,” McCabe wrote in the email. He said he had no input when the Clinton email investigation started...

The Department of Justice should consider prosecuting James Comey for his “improper” actions while serving as FBI director, the White House said Tuesday. Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, argued during the daily press briefing that Comey’s actions as FBI director “were improper and likely could have been illegal.” at' prosecuting James Comey Alex Pappas By Alex Pappas Published September 12, 2017 Fox News NOW PLAYING Sanders: Bipartisan dinner is a 'very good first start' Close The Department of Justice should consider prosecuting James Comey for his “improper” actions while serving as FBI director, the White House said Tuesday....

Republican lawmakers are casting a wider net in their search for wrongdoing at federal agencies in past election cycles, after learning the Postal Service violated the law by allowing employees to do union-funded work for Hillary Clinton’s campaign while on leave.**snip**The letters cited the OSC’s findings regarding the USPS that “only [employees] who wanted to campaign for the [union’s] endorsed candidates were given the opportunity to take several weeks of leave on short notice, over the objections of local supervisors who raised concerns about potential operational impact.” **snip** The OSC’s findings revealed that the USPS violated the Hatch Act, a...

The United States Postal Service violated federal law by letting employees do union-funded work for Hillary Clinton's campaign and other Democratic candidates while on leave from the agency, according to an Office of Special Counsel report obtained by Fox News. The OSC determined the USPS "engaged in systemic violations" of the Hatch Act, a federal law that limits certain political activities of federal employees. While employees are allowed to do some political work on leave, the report said the Postal Service showed a "bias" favoring the union's 2016 campaign operation. The investigation was launched months ago after Senate Committee on...

The United States Postal Service violated federal law by letting employees do union-funded work for Hillary Clinton's campaign and other Democratic candidates while on leave from the agency, according to an Office of Special Counsel report obtained by Fox News. The OSC determined the USPS "engaged in systemic violations" of the Hatch Act, a federal law that limits certain political activities of federal employees. While employees are allowed to do some political work on leave, the report said the Postal Service showed a "bias" favoring the union's 2016 campaign operation. The investigation was launched months ago after Senate Committee on...

cting FBI Director Andrew McCabe is being investigated by the Office of U.S. Special Counsel for violating The Hatch Act that prohibits FBI agents from campaigning in partisan races. The Office of U.S. Special Counsel, the government’s main whistleblower agency, is investigating whether FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe’s activities supporting his wife Jill’s Democratic campaign for Virginia state senate in 2015 violated the Hatch Act’s prohibition against FBI agents campaigning in partisan races. The agency’s probe was prompted by a complaint in April from a former FBI agent who forwarded social media photos showing McCabe wearing a T-shirt supporting his...

<p>The Office of U.S. Special Counsel, the government’s main whistleblower agency, is investigating whether FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe’s activities supporting his wife Jill’s Democratic campaign for Virginia state senate in 2015 violated the Hatch Act’s prohibition against FBI agents campaigning in partisan races. The agency’s probe was prompted by a complaint in April from a former FBI agent who forwarded social media photos showing McCabe wearing a T-shirt supporting his wife’s campaign during a public event and then posting a photo on social media urging voters to join him in voting for his wife. “I am voting for Jill because she is the best wife ever,” McCabe put on a sign that he photographed himself holding. The photo was posted on her social media page a few days before the election, in response to Dr. Jill McCabe's plea to “help me win” by posting photos expressing reasons why voters should vote for her, according to the complaint.</p>

President Donald Trump's social media director Dan Scavino violated the law when he called on Trump's allies to oust a Republican congressman from office in April, according to the Office of Special Counsel. The agency found that Scavino breached a provision of the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees engaging in some forms of political activity while acting in their official capacity. "Accordingly, we issued Mr. Scavino a warning letter," wrote Ana Galindo-Marrone, chief of OSC's Hatch Act Unit. "In addition, we note that Mr. Scavino was recently counseled about the Hatch Act by the Office of the White House...

A Denver-based Secret Service agent who reportedly suggested that she would rather go to jail than take a bullet for President Trump has been placed on administrative leave. The Washington Examiner reported Friday that Kerry O’Grady, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Denver district, was placed on paid leave during an investigation. Special Agent Kerry O’Grady O’Grady reportedly posted on Facebook in October, “As a public servant for nearly 23 years, I struggle not to violate the Hatch Act,” O’Grady wrote. “So I keep quiet and skirt the median. To do otherwise can be a criminal offense...

The agency said it has taken "appropriate action" ... but has not indicated whether she has been placed on administrative leave, which would be forced leave with pay, a common first disciplinary step when the Secret Service is taking a behavioral incident seriously. COMPANION ARTICLE: Secret Service agent who suggested she wouldn't take 'a bullet' for Trump expelled from group for retired agents

A senior U.S. Secret Service agent posted Facebook condemnations of President Trump during the past seven months, including one in which she said she wouldn't want to "take a bullet" for him. She explained herself saying she viewed his presidential candidacy as a "disaster" for the country, and especially for women and minorities. Kerry O'Grady, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service's Denver district, oversees coordination with Washington-based advance teams for all presidential candidate and presidential trips to the area, including all upcoming or future trips by the president, vice president or Trump administration officials. Despite her senior...