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A story reported in the Daily Beast on Friday depicts the tale of Yorktown native - and Hopewell Junction resident - Dan Scavino, Trump’s social media director whose wife has suffered from Lyme disease for more than a decade.
Scavino quit his job for two years in 2014 and 2015, according to the Daily Beast report, as he helped care for his wife, Jennifer. The family relied on disability checks and Social Security payments for their children as thousands of dollars in medical bills racked up.
On July 31, 2015, the Scavinos filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the report said. Scavino said on Twitter that treating his wife’s condition cost upwards of $300,000 over the years. Scavino would eventually return to work as a consultant before landing a job with Trump at the White House.
Scavino came under scrutiny earlier this month for allegedly violating the Hatch Act by telling voters to defeat a Michigan congressman in a primary. Employees can express their opinions about partisan groups or candidates from their personal accounts, according to the Office of the Special Counsel.
Richard Painter, chief White House ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush, said Scavino should be fired.
"This is use of official position to influence an election," Painter tweeted. "Bush White House would have fired him. Ethics 101- You can't put official titles and White House photos all over your "personal" Twitter page and use it for partisan politics. No ethics in this White House.
Daniel Jacobson, a lawyer during Obama's administration also said Scavino violated the Hatch Act.
"White House staff can't use an official or de facto govt Twitter account (which this is) to call for defeat of a candidate," Jacobson said. "De facto means that if you tweet only about White House work from your account, it's an official account. Labeling "personal" doesn't change that."
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