Trump Won’t Fire Kellyanne Conway, Disagrees “Entirely” With Fed Chair Powell

President Trump said on Friday that he wouldn’t fire senior aide Kellyanne Conway after a watchdog found she violated a federal law prohibiting political speech in her official capacity.

“No, I’m not going to fire her. I think she’s a terrific person,” Trump told Fox News, adding “I got briefed on it yesterday and it looks to me like they’re trying to take away their right of free speech. And that’s just not fair.”

“She’s got to have the right of responding to questions.”

On Thursday, Special Counsel Henry Kerner (no relation to Mueller’s office) said in a letter that his office had never before found such repeated violations by former presidential aides, and recommended that Trump fire Conway, who erred by “disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in her official capacity during television interviews and on social media.”

Muslim Mayor of Dearborn Invites Rapper Booted from Stadium Tour Over Anti-Israel Rant to Perform in City

Internet Trolls Karen Bass After She Deflects Blame for City’s Crumbling Roads

Most of School’s 9/11 Curriculum Focuses on Muslim Acceptance, Teachers Told Not to ‘Center’ on the Terrorists

Congress faces AI test as debate explodes over industry regulation

El-Sayed grilled on Piker, Israel and socialist ties after Mike Rogers skips Senate debate

US military releases footage of massive operation to rescue injured airman stranded inside Iran

Multiple death sentences in different states are set to be carried out within 24 hours: ‘Not very common’

Texas Senate candidate Talarico said US was ‘backsliding’ on democracy in resurfaced clip

7 Republicans rebel against Trump, vote with Dems to rein in Iran war powers

Fourth Florida resident dies after contracting flesh-eating bacteria linked to oysters

Washington Democrat claims majority of recent DHS arrestees posed ‘no threat to public safety’

Injured climber crawls ‘through the night’ to safety after falling 500 feet down California mountain

Republican upsets party-backed rival to challenge first openly trans member of Congress

Lawmakers throw out ‘Trojan horse’ activists they say are engaged in American subversion

Watch: Accused Child Sex Predator Literally Faints in Front of Judge After Learning Penalty He’s Facing

“Ms. Conway’s violations, if left unpunished, would send a message to all federal employees that they need not abide by the Hatch Act’s restrictions. Her actions thus erode the principal foundation of our democratic system — the rule of law,” reads the letter.

“If Ms. Conway were any other federal employee, her multiple violations of the law would almost certainly result in her removal from her federal position,” Kerner added. “Never has (the office) had to issue multiple reports to the President concerning Hatch Act violations by the same individual.”

“given that Ms. Conway is a repeat offender and has shown disregard for the law, (the office) recommends that she be removed from federal service,” reads a separate statement from the Office of the Special Counsel alongside the report.

As CNN notes, White House counsel Pat Cipollone pushed back against the report, writing that the special counsel’s office did not give the White House or Conway time to respond to the report, and that her social media statements and media interviews did not constitute violations of the Hatch Act.