A new analysis from the Daily Caller of transcripts of questions reporters have asked during White House press briefings show they have not asked questions about Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who was found guilty of violating the Hatch Act.
A report from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel notified President Barack Obama that Sebelius broke the law when she advocated for the election of a candidate during a speech at a pro-abortion group’s event. Sebelius violated the Hatch Act, which prohibited federal employees from officially supporting the election or defeat of a candidate.
The report indicates Sebelius broke the law when she appeared as the Guest of Honor and Keynote Speaker at a February 25, 2012 event sponsored by the pro-abortion group Human Rights Campaign in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Despite the violation, the report did not suggest the Obama administration take any action against the pro-abortion HHS secretary — and the White House did not punish Sebelius. White House spokesman Eric Schultz explained in a statement what Sebelius will be put through additional training but will not be punished.
Now, Daily Caller reporter Alex Pappas says a “review of transcripts by The Daily Caller indicate that no questions have been asked by the reporters who cover the president about Sebelius during official White House briefings or gaggles since Sept. 12, when the U.S. Office of Special Counsel said in a report that the cabinet secretary violated the Hatch Act earlier this year.”
Even though reporters haven’t inquired during press conferences and gaggles, White House spokesman Eric Schultz told The Associated Press that, “These were extemporaneous remarks … the U.S. Treasury has been reimbursed, and Secretary Sebelius has met with ethics experts to ensure this never happens again.”
The news about Sebelius was overshadowed last week by the attacks on America’s diplomats in the Middle East. But Torie Clarke, a former Assistant Secretary of Defense under Donald Rumsfeld, argued while guest hosting WMAL’s Mornings on the Mall on Monday that a double standard may be at play.
“If it were a Republican official who had done this, the outrage would be continued and loud and would have been on the Sunday talk shows beyond Benghazi and anything else,” Clarke said.
Following the news, Maureen Ferguson and Ashley McGuire of The Catholic Association told LifeNews they are calling for the resignation of HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
“Throughout her tenure at Health and Human Services, most of Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ actions have advanced the President’s political interests,” they said. “We already know she is willing to violate the First Amendment rights of Americans for political purposes, so why should we be surprised when she bends other laws to score political points? In violating the Hatch Act, Secretary Sebelius has made it clear that her concern with the reelection of President Obama supersedes her professional integrity, and she cannot be trusted to implement ObamaCare given her partisan political nature.”
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They added: “Kathleen Sebelius should resign; it is unfair for her to oversee a new entitlement program that impacts 1/7th of the American economy when she is unable to adhere to federal law.”
Previously, pro-life advocates exposed the role Sebelius had in a document shredding scandal that saw her administration’s Attorney General shred documents important to a case concerning Planned Parenthood.
