Members of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team as well as Democratic officials on Nov. 13 responded to protesters marching in several cities against Trump's election. (Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

Kellyanne Conway, Donald Trump's former campaign manager, said it is incumbent upon Hillary Clinton, President Obama and other Democratic leaders to calm their supporters and encourage a peaceful transition of power amid anti-Trump demonstrations that have swept U.S. cities since Election Day.

Trump is “there for them. And he is going to be a president that listens and takes the counsel of many different people, including those from the other side of the aisle,” Conway told Chuck Todd on NBC's “Meet the Press” on Sunday. " . . . It's time really for President Obama and Secretary Clinton to say to these protesters, 'This man is our president.'”

Both Clinton and Obama made speeches urging exactly that last week. In her concession speech to Trump, Clinton said, “We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead.”

In a similar vein, Obama met with Trump at the White House on Thursday and has said that his priority is to ensure a smooth transition so that Trump's presidency is successful.

Conway on Sunday also accused Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) of “acting like some garden-variety political pundit” and “egging people on” to protest Trump's coming presidency.

[Demonstrators square off against opponents and police as Anti-Trump protests spread]

Speaking to host Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday,” Conway also suggested that professional, paid protesters were behind the anti-Trump demonstrations across the country.

Nationwide protests gripped many cities for days following the presidential election as thousands march against Donald Trump's victory. Trump tweeted to condemn "professional protesters, incited by the media." (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

Wallace had asked Conway what Trump would do to reach out to those scared of what his presidency would bring, then read a portion of a statement Reid issued Friday charging Trump with assuaging the fears that he said the Republican's campaign had stoked.

“If this is going to be a time of healing, we must first put the responsibility for healing where it belongs: at the feet of Donald Trump, a sexual predator who lost the popular vote and fueled his campaign with bigotry and hate,” Reid's statement read in part. “Winning the electoral college does not absolve Trump of the grave sins he committed against millions of Americans. Donald Trump may not possess the capacity to assuage those fears, but he owes it to this nation to try.”

Conway cited Trump's victory speech as evidence that he was “off to a great start” in unifying the country, then turned her anger on Reid.

“Talk about not wanting my children to listen to somebody,” Conway said. “I’m calling for responsibility and maturity and decency. I hope President Obama calls Harry M. Reid today and says, 'Cut it out.'”

If Trump wants to roll back the tide of hate he unleashed, he has a tremendous amount of work to do and he must begin immediately. — Senator Harry Reid (@SenatorReid) November 11, 2016

Conway also told Wallace that the Trump administration still would be one “for the forgotten man and the forgotten woman” — despite his transition-team picks being filled with Washington insiders.

Throughout his campaign, Trump played up his lack of political experience as a positive trait, saying he was an outsider who would “drain the swamp” of D.C. politics. His transition team now includes former federal bureaucrats, think-tank academics, corporate lawyers and special-interest lobbyists.

“These are people who are talented and who have done this before,” Conway told host Chris Wallace, defending Trump's transition-team choices. “You can’t just appoint novices. You have to have people who know what they’re doing.”

Conway had previously said Trump's pick for White House chief of staff was “imminent.” It is widely expected that Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and Trump campaign chief executive Steve Bannon are on the shortlist for that position, and Trump's choice could signal the direction of his presidency.

Conway told Wallace that both men would have “very important roles” in the administration.

“We couldn’t have done it without Preibus or Bannon,” she said, referring to winning the election.

.@KellyannePolls on #FNS: We can't just appoint novices. This is an administration that is going to be run very differently. — FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) November 13, 2016

On the issue of Obamacare, Conway said that she didn't know whether Trump would amend portions of the health-care law or repeal and replace it completely but that Trump would act quickly, perhaps even convening a special session right after the January inauguration to address the law.

“As you know, the House and Senate under Republican control have repealed Obamacare dozens of times, but they’ve never had a Republican president go to the next step,” Conway said. " . . . that excuse has been removed, and I think you're going to see some significant action.”

A full repeal of the Affordable Care Act had been central to Trump's campaign. Over the past week, however, Trump said he would be open to keeping portions of the law, such as ensuring that people with preexisting conditions are covered and allowing children to stay on their parents' health plans through age 26.

When Wallace asked whether Obama had changed Trump's mind about a full repeal, Conway brushed it off as Trump being polite.

“I wouldn’t take it that far,” she said. “I believe that President-elect Trump is being properly respectful to President Obama. This is obviously his signature domestic legislative achievement, to hear Obama say it.”

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Can Trump broaden his government beyond loyalists — and does he want to? </s> U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named his former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway to serve as counselor to the president, his transition team said in a statement.Conway, 49, currently a senior adviser on Trump's transition team, is widely credited with helping him bring a more disciplined approach to campaigning that helped him win the November presidential election.

In her new post, Conway will play a key advisory role in the White House when Trump takes office on Jan. 20, helping to manage the New York businessman's messaging and legislative priorities, according to the statement.

Trump said Conway "played a crucial role in my victory. She is a tireless and tenacious advocate of my agenda and has amazing insights on how to effectively communicate our message."

In an interview with ABC News shortly after the announcement, Conway said Trump was finalizing his communications staff and was preparing to announce his choices for White House press secretary and related posts soon but gave no other details.

Asked when Trump would hold his first news conference after canceling one earlier this month, Conway avoided directly answering the question. Trump has held several rallies since winning the Nov. 8 election but has not taken formal questions from reporters.

Speaking on ABC's "Good Morning America" program, Conway pointed to Trump's time spent forming his Cabinet. "He's been very busy doing that," she said. </s> Kellyanne Conway Is Heading To The White House

WASHINGTON – Donald Trump’s campaign manager Kellyanne Conway is headed to the White House, where she’ll serve as counselor to the president.

The announcement was made by the president-elect’s transition team early Thursday.

Conway served as Trump’s third campaign manager and is widely credited with helping guide him to victory.

She is also a frequent guest on television news programs.

Conway had said previously that she planned to move her family to Washington to serve Trump, either inside or outside the administration.

The transition team says Conway “will work with senior leadership” in the White House “to effectively message and execute the administration’s legislative priorities and actions.” </s> NEW YORK, Dec. 22 (UPI) — Donald Trump‘s transition team on Thursday announced the president-elect picked campaign manager Kellyanne Conway to serve as counselor to the president.

Conway, the first female campaign manager to win a presidential race, led Trump’s team in the final three months before the election. The top White House role will allow Conway to give Trump input on virtually any decision he makes.

“In her position, Conway will continue her role as a close adviser to the president and will work with senior leadership to effectively message and execute the administration’s legislative priorities and actions,” Trump transition team said in a statement. “She is a tireless and tenacious advocate of my agenda and has amazing insights on how to effectively communicate our message.”

Conway, who is a veteran pollster and political consultant, said she was “humbled and honored to play a role in helping transform the movement he has led into a real agenda of actions and results.”

White House counselors can be very influential on a president depending on the shared rapport. Counselors can share input on nearly any issue, including domestic and foreign policy, unlike other advisers who may have a more narrow focus, such as economic advisers.

President Barack Obama currently does not have a counselor to the president. He also didn’t fill the post when he first took office, but in 2014 he named John Podesta to the role. Podesta left the administration in 2015 to serve as the chairman of Hillary Clinton‘s 2016 presidential campaign. </s> US president-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named his former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway to serve as counsellor to the president, his transition team said in a statement.

Conway (49), who is currently a senior adviser on Trump’s transition team, is widely credited with helping him bring the more disciplined approach to campaigning that helped him win the November presidential election.

In her new post, Conway will play a key advisory role in the White House when Trump takes office on January 20th, helping to manage the New York businessman’s messaging and legislative priorities, according to the statement.

Mr Trump said Ms Conway “played a crucial role in my victory.

“She is a tireless and tenacious advocate of my agenda and has amazing insights on how to effectively communicate our message.”

In an interview with ABC News shortly after the announcement, Ms Conway said Mr Trump was finalising his communications staff and was preparing to announce his choices for White House press secretary and related posts soon.

Asked when Mr Trump would hold his first news conference after cancelling a planned conference earlier this month, Ms Conway avoided directly answering the question.

Mr Trump has held several rallies since winning the November 8th election but has not taken formal questions from reporters.

Speaking about the issue on ABC’s Good Morning America programme, Ms Conway pointed to the time Mr Trump’s has spent forming his cabinet.

“He’s been very busy doing that,” she said. </s> Donald Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway is headed to the White House, where she'll serve as counselor to the president.

The announcement was made by the president-elect's transition team early Thursday.

Conway served as Trump's third campaign manager and is widely credited with helping guide him to victory.

She is also a frequent guest on television news programs.

Conway had said previously that she planned to move her family to Washington to serve Trump, either inside or outside the administration.

The transition team says Conway "will work with senior leadership" in the White House "to effectively message and execute the administration's legislative priorities and actions."

Be sure and try our new SNOWCAST APP! It is the "snow equivalent to STORM SHIELD" - a great new product that gives you high resolution snow forecasts for any part of the nation! It has just been introduced for iPhones, but we are working on the Android version! Just search SNOWCAST in the App Store or click here. </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Kellyanne Conway, one of President Donald Trump's top advisers, violated federal law in two televised interviews last year by using her White House position to weigh in on a political race, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel said on Tuesday.

In the interviews, one on Fox News Channel on Nov. 20 and another on Dec. 6 on CNN, Conway "impermissibly mixed official government business with political views about candidates in the Alabama special election," the independent investigative agency said in a report it submitted to Trump for "appropriate disciplinary action."

 

 (Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Tim Ahmann) </s> A top Donald Trump transition adviser, Kellyanne Conway, said Tuesday that the president-elect would not honor his pledge to have his Justice Department go after Hillary Clinton.

“I think when the president-elect … tells you before he’s even inaugurated that he doesn’t wish to pursue these charges, it sends a very strong message” to congressional Republicans, Conway said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

Conway made the comments when asked if Trump would also encourage the GOP-led Congress to forgo potential investigations of Clinton.

But later in the day Monday, during a meeting with the New York Times, Trump did not rule out the possibility of his administration investigating Clinton.

During the campaign, Trump directly told his Democratic foe that he would appoint a special prosecutor to investigate her, accusing her of committing many crimes.

“I hate to say it, but if I win I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation,” Trump said during the second presidential debate. “Because there has never been so many lies, so much deception.”

Trump frequently claimed that Clinton broke the law with her use of a private email server as secretary of state. The FBI looked into whether she or her aides mishandled classified information and concluded that no one should be charged. But Trump proclaimed that Clinton was “guilty as hell,” and his rallies were constantly interrupted by chants of “Lock her up!”

But Trump started to back off the pledge to investigate Clinton after he won the election. “I’m going to think about it,” he said in a postelection interview on CBS’ “60 Minutes.”

As president, Trump would supposedly be independent of the Justice Department and the criminal investigations it pursues. </s> Kellyanne Conway, a top advisor to President Donald Trump, violated the federal law prohibiting some political activity by high-level officials with her comments in two television interviews about the special election for a Senate seat from Alabama, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel said Tuesday.

That investigatory office said it has sent its report on Conway's actions to Trump for "appropriate disciplinary action."

But the White House quickly disputed the report's findings on Conway's so-called Hatch Act violations.

The report said that in her two TV interviews, "Conway appeared in her official capacity" and in one case "advocated against one Senate candidate and gave an implied endorsement of another candidate."

"In the second interview, she advocated for the defeat of one Senate candidate and the election of another candidate," according to the office, which is a permanent independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency.

"Both instances constituted prohibited political activity under the Hatch Act and occurred after Conway received significant training on Hatch Act prohibitions," according to the report from the office.

The agency is not connected to the office of special counsel Robert Mueller, who was appointed by the Justice Department to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

The OSC said it gave Conway the opportunity to respond to the allegations and to its findings, but she did not.

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said in response to the report: "Kellyanne Conway did not advocate for or against the election of any particular candidate. She simply expressed the President's obvious position that he have people in the House and Senate who support his agenda."

"In fact, Kellyanne's statements actually show her intention and desire to comply with the Hatch Act – as she twice declined to respond to the host's specific invitation to encourage Alabamans to vote for the Republican," Gidley said.

The OSC noted that federal employees, including employees designated as "commissioned officers" in the White House, are subject to the restrictions set by the Hatch Act.

"While commissioned officers may engage in some political activity, they are still barred from using their official authority or influence to interfere with or affect elections," the office said. "Although the President and Vice President are exempt from the Hatch Act, their employees are not."

The office said that on Nov. 20, Conway appeared in her official capacity on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" "and discussed why voters should not support Democrat Doug Jones in the Alabama special election for U.S. Senate."

"On December 6, 2017, Conway appeared in her official capacity on CNN's New Day and discussed why voters should support Republican Roy Moore and not Democrat Doug Jones in the Alabama special election for U.S. Senate," the office said.

"While the Hatch Act allows federal employees to express their views about candidates and political issues as private citizens, it restricts employees from using their official government positions for partisan political purposes, including by trying to influence partisan elections," the report says.

"In passing this law, Congress intended to promote public confidence in the Executive branch by ensuring the federal government is working for all Americans without regard to their political views," the office said.

This isn't the first time Conway has been formally cited for using her official position to make an endorsement that she is not allowed to, by law.

In February 2017, less than a month into Trump's presidency, Conway responded to the news of retailers cutting ties with Ivanka Trump's clothing line by saying on Fox News, "Go buy Ivanka's stuff is what I would tell you. It's a wonderful line. I own some of it. I'm going to give a free commercial here. Go buy it today, everybody."

Rules from the Office of Government Ethics generally prohibit executive branch employees from endorsing products in their official capacities as White House representatives.

Conway was appearing on TV in her official capacity, so she violated that rule.

After members of Congress complained, the White House Office of Legal Counsel reported that lawyers had spoken to Conway twice after the appearance, to reiterate the rules and ensure that they were fully understood.

In a follow-up letter to Congress, then White House deputy counsel Stefan Passantino wrote that after speaking to Conway, "We concluded that Ms. Conway acted inadvertently and is highly unlikely to do so again."
Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway asks outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama and former U.S. First Lady and Democratic Party presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to discourage the protests.