Jun
16
The President’s Problematic Women
“[I]t seems to me to be very unfair; it’s called freedom of speech.” — President Trump to CNN
Kellyanne Conway
Just to be clear up front, the particular “problematic” women I’m referring to are not those who are actually a problem for the President — e.g., Omarosa or Stormy or Nancy. Rather, I’m talking about influential women who get along quite well with the President and are, therefore, “problematic” for the Democrats and anyone else who despises Trump. There are a couple in particular who are part of the administration and have been in the news of late.
First up is Trump’s former campaign manager and current Senior Counselor to the President, Kellyanne Conway. The anti-Trump crowd has had it in for her since the beginning, and she has been the subject of more than one controversy over the past two-and-a-half years. The latest made headlines earlier this week, when the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) announced that, “by disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in her official capacity during television interviews and on social media”, Conway was guilty of multiple violations of the Hatch Act (1939). Indeed, she has been warned in the past and has critics on both sides of the aisle.
It is not unusual for the OSC to issue such warnings — often without disciplinary action — and previous administrations have certainly received their fair share. What makes this particular incident stand out is Conway’s “repeat offender” status and the letter to the President recommending that he “remove Ms. Conway from her federal platform immediately.”
The administration’s response, however, has been very supportive of Conway and indicative that Trump has no intention of firing her. (Note: She is a presidential appointee, so the OSC can’t take further action themselves.) The Heritage Foundation’s Hans von Spakovsky called White House counsel Pat Cipollone’s response to special counsel Henry Kerner “devastating”. Speaking to The Daily Signal, von Spakovsky observed,
“It raises serious questions of partisan bias in OSC’s investigation, as well as OSC’s mistaken and error-filled interpretation of the Hatch Act that violates basic First Amendment rights.
It is also clear that OSC didn’t follow its own procedural rules designed to provide due process protections to federal employees in rushing out a report, because OSC admitted it was ‘personally’ offended by Conway’s criticisms and supposed ‘disrespect’ towards OSC.
This OSC report seems to have been generated due to Kerner’s personal animus towards Conway.”
Still, matters of bias, animus, and procedural violation aside, the most important thing here is proper interpretation of the Hatch Act and whether or not Conway violated it. (Also, termination of employment is not the only option for punishment.) I like Conway, but I hope that going forward she will be more circumspect in what she says while speaking in her official capacity, much like Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who has declined to answer reporters’ questions about political candidates and campaigns. On the other hand, perhaps the Hatch Act could use a bit of tweaking, too.
Speaking of White House Press Secretary Sanders, she is the second “problematic woman” I’d like to discuss this week. It was announced last Thursday that Sanders had decided to leave her position at the end of the month to spend more time at home in Arkansas with her husband and children. However, there have been rumors of possible political office in Sanders’ future, and President Trump tweeted:
“She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas – she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done!”
Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Others who tweeted their praise and well-wishes include Vice President Pence, First Lady Melania Trump, Stephanie Grisham (i.e., the First Lady’s Communications Director), and RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.
Despite a bit of controversy involving Sanders now & then, she has been a dependable ally and spokesperson for the Trump administration. You know they have to be a bit concerned with getting someone who is both “on board” and (hopefully) similarly skilled, including when it comes to going toe-to-toe with certain aggressive and/or ethically-challenged journalists and commentators. It is also a job that entails a lot of personal attacks and insults from the press (e.g., CNN’s Jim Acosta and April Ryan) and others, so one needs to have thick skin and a spine of steel. So, who might be that replacement?
Some of you may remember rumors months ago of Sanders’ pending (but unscheduled) departure. In fact, as early as July 2018, a shortlist was begun of potential successors to Sanders. Possibilities included State Dept. Spokesperson Heather Nauert, former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle, Treasury Dept. Spokesman Tony Sayegh, White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah, et al. But, the only person I’ve heard yet who is getting serious attention is the aforementioned Stephanie Grisham.
Grisham is a PR consultant who was involved in political campaigns at the (Arizona) state and national levels before joining the Trump team in 2015. She later joined the transition team, was named Deputy Press Secretary for Sean Spicer in the West Wing, and became Press Secretary and Communications Director for the First Lady in March 2017. (Interestingly, the OSC once admonished Grisham for violating the Hatch Act when she included Trump’s campaign slogan in a tweet from her government account.) Trump was sorry to see her move to the East Wing then, so he would likely be thrilled to have her back in the West Wing..
Stephanie Grisham and Melania Trump
In his recent article, The Daily Wire‘s Ryan Saavedra quoted a few sources close to the White House all commenting on Grisham’s savvy, loyalty, and rapport with the Trumps. For example,
“In December, The Washington Post noted that Grisham has grown to become “one of the more powerful figures in the ever-evolving Trump White House” and referred to Grisham as “Melania Trump’s enforcer.”
A source close to the White House told The Daily Wire on Thursday night Grisham “has proven herself to be a stone-cold killer” and that “no one else comes close” to being able to match Grisham in her ability to command problems that arise…. She holds down the East Wing with ease and has no loyalties to any faction within the Republican Party. Members of the first family love her and know that she is fiercely dedicated and loyal.”
According to another source,
“The First Lady loves Stephanie’s tenacity and loyalty, and President Trump has remarked that he respects Stephanie’s ability to stay cool under pressure and manage the toughest of news cycles. Stephanie might not be the first name that comes to mind for this role, but she’s the one person inside or outside the building who everyone nods their head and says, ‘She’d be great.'”
Sounds like she would be perfect. Of course, then they’d need to find a replacement to lead Melania’s team….
Another controversial name I have seen suggested in a couple places is pro-Trump activist/blogger Candace Owens. I would note that Trump has praised her in the past as a “very smart thinker” who is “having a big impact on politics in our country.” She also has a bit of experience in this arena, having been Communications Director for Turning Point USA. (She left in May 2019 and now works for PragerU.)
Candace Owens
I think this is an intriguing choice, and she would seem to meet the qualifications for the White House Press Secretary job mentioned earlier. But, would she be a good fit for that environment? Would she even be interested? At this point, who knows? For the record, though, I think she would probably have more influence for the good if she retained the freedom that she enjoys now to speak and write pretty much what she wants and where she wants.
