White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders fails at delivering on PR even in her private life. An attempt at family friendly humor on Twitter got her a stern reprimand from former White House Ethics Chief Walter Shaub.
Sanders tweeted out her frustration with Google Echo because it allowed her 2 year-old to order an expensive toy just by yelling “batman!”
Alexa, we have a problem if my 2 year old can order a Batman toy by yelling "Batman!" over and over again into the Echo pic.twitter.com/7uF0d2fmD8
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) January 14, 2018
But turns out even this failed attempt at a light hearted joke violated government code. Shaub took her to task for yet another routine violation of the rules, directing her to the exact excerpt of the law for reference.
If you were a low-level staffer with no press duties in a big department, @PressSec, your boss might just stroll into your office and ask you to delete this. But you're not that. Employees throughout govt look to you to set an example because tone from the top matters. Do better.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 14, 2018
Even in the off hours, this administration can’t seem to keep it together and follow the law. Shaub makes the argument that Sanders violating this particular code is wrong on two counts.
For one, she’s breaking the law by discussing purchases from private companies on her personal account. This might be compared to that time Kellyanne Conway went on live TV to shill for Ivanka’s companies. Hardly the most ethical use of government resources.
Then there’s the problem of Sanders breaking the law while also holding a pretty high position in the government. Shaub points out that because she’s so (unfortunately) high profile, the rest of the lower ranks look to her to lead by example.
It’s hardly setting the best example if Sanders wakes up on a Sunday morning and uses her personal Twitter account to violate the law.
Typical Trump administration. There’s no law too small for them to walk all over it.