White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway defied a congressional subpoena on Monday by not showing up to a House Oversight Committee hearing on her potential violations of the Hatch Act. Prior to the start of the hearing, White House counsel Pat Cipollone told the committee in a letter that Conway “cannot be compelled to testify before Congress with respect to matters related to her service as a senior adviser to the President.” He also added that Trump directed Conway “not to appear at the Committee’s scheduled hearing[.]” Last month, the Office of Special Counsel recommended Conway “be removed from federal service” due to her “numerous” violations of the Hatch Act, which bars some federal employees from taking an active role in political campaigns. The office claimed Conway violated the 1939 act by “disparaging Democratic presidential candidates[.]”
