Did Sean Spicer Overstep Legal Boundaries?

Sean Spicer, former White House Press Secretary and Communications Director under President Donald Trump, has been the subject of scrutiny for his controversial statements and actions during his tenure. One notable incident involves Spicer's tweets promoting the betting app PredictIt, which appears to violate Federal Trade Commission regulations regarding paid endorsements on social media. While the matter has raised questions about Spicer's compliance with the law, it is important to note that the FTC has not commented on any investigations. Additionally, Spicer, along with Trump and Dan Scavino, was sued by the Knight First Amendment Institute for allegedly violating the First Amendment by blocking users from accessing Trump's Twitter content.

Sean Spicer's tweets and their violation of Federal Trade Commission regulations

Sean Spicer's tweets about the betting app PredictIt appear to violate Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations regarding paid endorsements on social media. The FTC guidelines state that if there is a connection between an endorser and a marketer that consumers would not expect and could affect how consumers evaluate the endorsement, then that connection should be disclosed. In Spicer's case, he failed to disclose that he was being paid a commission for sign-ups to PredictIt, which is a form of sponsored content or "spon-con".

The FTC's guide for promotional disclosures outlines specific protocols for Twitter, recommending the use of terms like "Sponsored", "Promotion", "Paid ad", or hashtags like "#ad" to indicate sponsored statements. Despite the clarity of these guidelines, Spicer did not include any such disclosures in his tweet promoting PredictIt.

Spicer's actions highlight the growing issue of "shadowy influencers" who are paid to promote brands on social media without properly disclosing their financial connections, as outlined in the FTC's thorough guides for Twitter and Instagram. By failing to disclose his financial connection to PredictIt, Spicer's tweets violated basic FTC regulations and misled consumers by presenting his endorsement as impartial when it was, in fact, financially motivated.

Sean Spicer's lawsuit against Biden for firing him from military board

Sean Spicer, the former White House Press Secretary and communications director under the Trump administration, sued the Biden administration after receiving a resignation request from his position on the Naval Academy Board of Visitors. Spicer was one of 18 appointees of former President Trump who received letters asking them to resign from their positions on military academy boards. The letters stated that those who did not resign by the end of the day would be terminated.

In response to the request, Spicer stated on his Newsmax show, "Spicer & Co.", that he would not be submitting his resignation and would instead be "joining a lawsuit to fight this". Spicer claimed that White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki had "crossed a line" with her comments, in which she questioned the qualifications of the appointees and their alignment with the administration's values. Spicer argued that his history in the military could not be questioned and that his service to the nation should not be minimized.

In addition to Spicer, other notable appointees who received resignation requests included Kellyanne Conway, Russ Vought, and H.R. McMaster. Some of these individuals also pushed back against the requests, with Conway stating in a letter to Biden that was posted to Twitter, "I'm not resigning, but you should". Vought also declined the request, posting to Twitter, "No. It's a three-year term".

Sean Spicer's controversial statements as White House Press Secretary

Sean Spicer served as the 30th White House Press Secretary and as White House Communications Director under President Donald Trump in 2017. During his tenure, Spicer made several controversial and false statements, and his relationship with the press was strained from the start.

The first instance of this occurred on January 21, 2017, the day after Trump's inauguration. Spicer repeated the claim that the crowds at Trump's inauguration ceremony were the largest ever, and that the press had deliberately underestimated the number of spectators. This statement was widely criticised, with conservative political analyst Bill Kristol calling it "embarrassing". In response to the criticism, Trump aide Kellyanne Conway defended Spicer, saying he had presented "alternative facts".

Spicer's contentious relationship with the press continued, and in February 2017, the White House blocked several major news outlets from a briefing with Spicer. This prompted strong objections from the outlets concerned, as well as the White House Correspondents' Association.

On April 11, 2017, Spicer made another controversial statement, this time regarding the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack. He commented that "You had someone as despicable as Hitler who didn't even sink to using chemical weapons." These remarks were widely criticised, especially given that they coincided with the Jewish holiday of Passover. Spicer later apologised and clarified that he was trying to compare how Assad dropped bombs on population centres to how Hitler used gas.

Spicer resigned as White House Press Secretary on July 21, 2017, but remained at the White House until August 31 in an unspecified capacity.

Sean Spicer's appearance on Dancing with the Stars

Sean Spicer's appearance on season 28 of *Dancing with the Stars* was met with alarm on social media and by many at ABC News. One ABC employee told CNN journalist Oliver Darcy:

> It's a slap in the face to those of us who had to deal with his baloney and the consequences of the ongoing lies and disinformation campaign at the White House.

Spicer responded by saying that *Dancing with the Stars* "is an entertainment show. I look forward to having some fun. And if people are looking for news, I suggest they tune into a news program".

On the first instalment of the show, Spicer wore a bright lime green shirt with ruffles while his dancing partner's dress prominently featured pineapples as they engaged in a salsa dance, garnering widespread media coverage.

Spicer's participation in the show was criticised by some, with one article in *The Independent* stating that he "belongs on a permanent public blacklist, not in a TV waltz". However, others, including Queer Eye star Karamo Brown, defended Spicer's appearance, sparking a backlash.

Sean Spicer's relationship with the press

The first such instance occurred on January 21, 2017, the day following Trump's inauguration. Spicer repeated the claim that crowds at Trump's inauguration ceremony were the largest ever at such an event and that the press had deliberately underestimated the number of spectators. After this statement was widely criticized, Trump aide Kellyanne Conway said that Spicer had presented what she called "alternative facts".

In February 2017, the White House selectively blocked several major news outlets from an off-camera briefing with Spicer, prompting strong objections from the outlets concerned, as well as the White House Correspondents' Association.

Spicer also had a combative relationship with the media during his time as press secretary, with his press conferences being described as "combative" and "a new low for the Trump White House". Several commentators have compared Spicer to "Baghdad Bob", the Information Minister under Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Spicer's relationship with the press was also strained by his refusal to admit that Biden won the 2020 election, as well as his lawsuit against Biden for firing him from a military board.

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