Apparently, Sarah Huckabee Sanders’s Tweet Violates Ethics Law

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After White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders posted a tweet saying she was asked to leave a Virginia restaurant, Walter Shaub, the former director of the Office of Government Ethics, chimed in to let her know her tweet was a clear violation of ethics law.

“Sarah, I know you don’t care even a tiny little bit about the ethics rules, but using your official account for this is a clear violation of 5 CFR 2635.702(a),” he tweeted. “It’s the same as if an ATF agent pulled out his badge when a restaurant tried to throw him/her out.”

He continued, “Sanders used her official govt account to condemn a private business for personal reasons. Seeks to coerce business by using her office to get public to pressure it. Violates endorsements ban too, which has an obvious corollary for discouraging patronage. Misuse reg covers both.”

According to The Hill, the restaurant owner, Stephanie Wilkinson, asked Sanders to leave because of comments the press secretary has made defending the Trump administration’s transgender military ban, which made some of her employees (several of whom are LGBT) uncomfortable. “I’m not a huge fan of confrontation,” Stephanie said. “I have a business, and I want the business to thrive. This feels like the moment in our democracy when people have to make uncomfortable actions and decisions to uphold their morals.”