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Haisten Willis, White House Reporter


NextImg:Extreme what? White House mocks Hatch Act restrictions while warning of shutdown


White House officials made fun of an ethics law restricting their language during a call warning against a government shutdown.

Biden administration officials are sending repeated warnings about an "extreme Republican shutdown" that could begin this weekend. Missing from the warning is the term "MAGA," which was rolled out last summer and used extensively in the midterm elections.

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"We're not allowed to actually use the ‘M’ word here in the White House right now," senior adviser Anita Dunn said on a call with reporters and Democratic boosters. "But everyone here knows what I mean: It’s a four-letter word, begins with M, ends with A. It's got an A-G in the middle.”

"Those people are the ones who are refusing to do their job and shutting the government down for no reason," Dunn continued.

Dunn is a Democratic messaging guru who played a key role in coining the term "MAGA Republicans" following a six-month study. Biden railed against "ultra-MAGA Republicans" endlessly ahead of last year's midterm elections, and his party outperformed expectations in November.

Biden is an elected official and free to make political statements. However, staff members such as Dunn, who collect a taxpayer-funded salary, are not supposed to make political claims, according to the Hatch Act of 1939.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was issued a warning letter in June over Hatch Act violations, specifically for saying "mega-MAGA Republicans" during election season.

“Because Ms. Jean‐Pierre made the statements while acting in her official capacity, she violated the Hatch Act prohibition against using her official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election,” reads a letter from the Office of Special Counsel.

The absence of "MAGA" from the shutdown communications strategy and Dunn's workaround indicates the White House has heeded the warning, if reluctantly.

The White House is attempting to isolate House Republicans, whether extreme, MAGA, or otherwise, from the rest of Washington in the shutdown fight.

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"Democrats and Republicans in the Senate, President Biden, and House Democrats all want to honor [the debt ceiling] agreement, and they all want to keep the government open," Dunn said. "It's on all of us to tell that story and to keep them accountable."

Biden's impeachment inquiry began Thursday with hearings focused on his family's business deals. The president's team has countered that by sending reminders every half hour of just how long is left until the government shuts down.