Consistent enforcement of the Hatch Act requires clear guidelines

Laws are only as good as their execution. That’s why the Office of Special Counsel recommended Thursday that White House adviser Kellyanne Conway be removed from her position for “egregious, notorious, and ongoing” violations of the Hatch Act, a law that specifically prohibits federal employees from advocating for or against a political candidate.

Generally, the Hatch Act forbids federal employees from engaging in political advocacy of any kind. But the applicable scenarios are vague and the revisions too frequent, rendering enforcement inconsistent and weak.