White House press secretary pretends she doesn't work for the White House

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany refused to comment on Thursday morning on whether Donald Trump will end his transition blockade and allow President-elect Joe Biden to receive intelligence briefings, acting as if she is not a member of the White House staff.

“I haven’t spoken to the president about that,” McEnany said when asked about the transition on “Fox & Friends.” “That would be a question more for the White House. But I will say that all laws are being followed with regard to an expected transition, though we expect to continue on as the Trump administration. We will see how our litigation goes.”

McEnany is still the White House press secretary, drawing a taxpayer-funded salary of $183,000 per year, according to White House records. (McEnany appears on the list under her legal last name, Gilmartin.)

She has also been serving as an adviser to Trump’s 2020 campaign — a role that blurs the legal lines set by the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.

Multiple Trump administration officials have been accused of violating the law, including former White House senior counselor Kellyanne Conway, who was accused of violating the law multiple times. Conway was never punished for her behavior before she left the administration in August, even though the U.S. Office of the Special Counsel found Conway did violate the law.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is currently under investigation for his speech at the Republican National Convention, which he gave while on an official government trip to Israel.

And Trump himself has blurred ethical lines by holding campaign events at the White House, including part of the Republican National Convention, and even his election night watch party — which appears to have been yet another coronavirus superspreader event.

Trump is refusing to allow the General Services Administration to approve the release funds for Biden’s transition and is blocking his access to government buildings and employees.

Trump is trying to overturn the results of the election — which he is on pace to lose by a “landslide,” according to his own definition — by lying about nonexistent voter fraud and filing lawsuits.

Many Republicans are defending Trump’s behavior. Some, however, are admitting Trump lost and urging him to allow the transition to proceed.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.