Kayleigh McEnany dodges question on how Donald Trump can stay in power

She had previously said Mr Trump could ‘have a continuation’ of his presidency

Independent Staff
Thursday 24 December 2020 13:36 GMT
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White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was left squirming when she was asked how President Donald Trump could stay in power after January.

Mr Trump’s top spokesperson refused to clarify what she meant when she previously said her boss could “have a continuation” of his presidency.

Ms McEnany dodged the subject when asked about it by journalist Mary Margaret Olohan from the conservative Daily Caller.

“That's a question for the campaign, so I can't get into election litigation, but I would just say he has litigation across the country in several places and he’ll continue that litigation,” Ms McEnany responded.

“He wants election integrity and a fair election and I'll leave it to the campaign to pursue that litigation, but that's what I was referencing.”

The Daily Caller was co-founded in 2010 by right-wing firebrand Tucker Carlson, now of Fox News, as “the conservative answer to The Huffington Post.”

It is  widely considered to be a friendly outlet for the Trump administration.

The outgoing president has still refused to concede the election to Joe Biden, despite his win being confirmed by electoral college voters earlier this month.

Mr Trump has been throwing out baseless accusations of voter fraud since 2016, when he said ahead of the election against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton that he would only accept the results “if I win”.

During the 2020 campaign against President-elect Joe Biden, Mr Trump said: “The only way we're going to lose this election is if the election is rigged”.

Mr Trump’s own Justice Department has failed to find widespread evidence of voter fraud, and election security analysts have said that the 2020 election was fair and safe.

The Trump campaign and the Republican Party have now lost more than 50 lawsuits challenging the outcome of the election. 

Ms McEnany has repeatedly been criticised for acting both as an adviser for the Trump campaign, and as the White House Press Secretary, and avoiding questions by referring to the campaign or the White House despite representing both of them.

Observers say that her jumping back and forth between the campaign and the White House could be a violation of the Hatch Act of 1939.

The law prohibits government workers in the executive branch from taking part in political activities while they are carrying out their official duties. 

 

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