Latest news with #McLaurinePinover
South China Morning Post
14-03-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Who is McLaurine Pinover, the government employee posting ‘influencer' fashion content amid Doge lay-offs? The Alabaman has now deleted Instagram and says she ‘never made any income' from the move
McLaurine Pinover, the communications director at the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM), has come under fire for posting fashion influencer videos from the government office on social media as thousands of federal workers lose their jobs. President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk sit in a Tesla car in front of the White House in Washington, on March 11. Photo: Reuters The OPM has overseen mass lay offs in recent weeks as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk seek to cut down on the federal workforce. Pinover enraged netizens when she shared over a dozen clips of her modelling different outfits from the OPM office, per CNN. She reportedly directed followers from her Instagram account to a website, indicating that she could have been earning a commission on any sales. Advertisement Pinover shared a video of herself blowing a kiss into the camera with the hashtag #dcinfluencer and captioned it 'work look' – on the same day the OPM fired 20 people, according to the New York Post. The purple skirt she wore in the clip reportedly cost US$475, per CNN. A former OPM staffer during the Biden administration told CNN that her actions were 'absurd'. 'Your number one job as a leader is to protect and support your people,' Jack Miller, Pinover's predecessor under Biden, told the media outlet. 'So instead of fighting tooth and nail to keep your team, we're posting fashion videos. It's absurd.' Pinover has since deleted her Instagram account which was known as @getdressedwithmc. So, who is she exactly? McLaurine Pinover is an Auburn University graduate McLaurine Pinover hails from Alabama. Photo: @getdressedwithmc/Instagram Pinover – who is originally from Auburn, Alabama – graduated with a degree in political science from Auburn University, according to her introduction on The Herald Group website. She also worked in the White House during Donald Trump's first term, notes Vanity Fair. 'I was intimidated to move to a major city coming from a small town,' she told The Herald Group, who she worked for previously. 'Over time I realised DC has many similar qualities to a small town. I run into people I know all the time, and it's a city with lots of greenery and no skyscrapers.' She's a communications director McLaurine Pinover also worked for Donald Trump during his first term in the White House. Photo: @theheraldgroup/X
Washington Post
14-03-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
This wannabe influencer perfectly captures the DOGE era
On the day that 20 employees on her government communications team were laid off, a woman named McLaurine Pinover posted a sunny video of herself on Instagram showing off a $295 argyle cardigan by Ganni — a mid-priced Copenhagen label for cutesy separates — with a $340 paisley pleated skirt by Sandro, a Parisian brand that produces an earnest amalgam of 'French girl style.' Pinover, the spokesperson for the Office of Personnel Management, captioned the post 'a moment for mixed patterns,' at a moment when her agency was overseeing thousands of government layoffs, at the behest of Elon Musk's U.S. DOGE Service.
Express Tribune
13-03-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Trump official responsible for defending DOGE cuts under fire for filming fashion videos at OPM office
McLaurine Pinover, the communications director for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), has faced backlash after filming fashion influencer videos inside her government office. Pinover, appointed during President Donald Trump's second term, used her office as a backdrop for several Instagram posts promoting clothing, with links to affiliate marketing sites. These videos were filmed during business hours, raising concerns that she may have violated government rules prohibiting the use of public property for personal gain. In one video posted while OPM was overseeing layoffs of thousands of federal employees, Pinover wore a $475 purple skirt and captioned the post with hashtags like #dcinfluencer. Photo: Instagram Critics, including former OPM staffers, expressed frustration, noting that while Pinover's team was working hard on government-related tasks, she was using her office for personal business. This has prompted accusations of hypocrisy, especially as Pinover had been advocating for job cuts while promoting her influencer career. Ethics experts have weighed in, with some arguing that Pinover's conduct may violate federal regulations, which prohibit the use of government resources for personal profit. However, Pinover did not identify herself as a federal employee in the posts, which could mitigate some of the concerns raised. Despite this, watchdog groups have criticised her actions as a breach of ethical standards, particularly given the context of government austerity measures being pushed by the Trump administration and figures like Elon Musk. Pinover has since deleted her Instagram account, but the controversy continues to fuel debates on the ethics of government employees using their positions for personal gain.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Auburn alumna cites cancer diagnosis after federal office fashion posts scrutinized
AUBURN, Ala. (WRBL) – McLaurine Pinover, an Auburn University graduate and communications director for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), is responding to scrutiny after a CNN report revealed she used her government office as the backdrop for social media fashion content. 'While I was battling breast cancer as a new mom, I felt so unlike myself. Shortly after, I turned to social media as a personal outlet. I never made any income and with only about 800 followers, I'm surprised this is newsworthy. My focus remains on serving the American people at OPM,' Pinover told WRBL. Pinover tells WRBL's Elizabeth White she is thankfully in remission. She spoke about her journey online at:McLaurine Pinover | Fran Drescher and Cancer Schmancer The controversy comes as OPM oversees mass federal layoffs. CNN reported Pinover filmed fashion-related videos in her office, directing followers to purchase clothing she showcased. On the same day OPM urged agencies to fire underperforming employees, Pinover posted a video modeling a $475 skirt with the caption 'work look' and the hashtag #dcinfluencer. Her account, which linked to a site where she could earn commissions, was deleted after CNN's inquiry. Watchdog groups say her posts may violate federal ethics rules against using government resources for personal gain. Donald K. Sherman, chief counsel for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, called it 'highly problematic'given the layoffs occurring under her agency's oversight. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Telegraph
12-03-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Doge spokeswoman defends office fashion videos as ‘personal outlet'
A Doge spokeswoman who was criticised for filming videos of her outfits from her government office has defended herself, saying the posts helped to distract her from her breast cancer battle. McLaurine Pinover, the 33-year-old communications director for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), attracted the scorn of civil servants after using her Washington DC office as a backdrop for fashion photoshoots published on her Instagram account. Former OPM employees accused her of trying to create a brand as a Washington influencer while simultaneously defending mass layoffs of federal workers, including her own colleagues, ordered by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (Doge). However, Ms Pinover told The Telegraph that she had used Instagram as a 'personal outlet' after her illness and never made any money through her social media account. 'While I was battling breast cancer as a new mom, I felt so unlike myself,' she said. 'Shortly after, I turned to social media as a personal outlet. I never made any income and with only about 800 followers, I'm surprised this is newsworthy.' She added: 'My focus remains on serving the American people at OPM.' The OPM manages the civil service, and is tasked with directing the Trump administration's attempts to end remote working among federal workforce and issuing guidance on mass layoffs, which have been led by Doge. She has issued statements defending Doge cuts. The same day the OPM published a memo exploring how to fire 'poor-performing employees', Ms Pinover posted a video in which she blew a kiss to the camera, accompanied by the captions 'work look' and '#dcinfluencer'. Her Instagram account, which has since been deleted, linked to a website where viewers could buy the $475 skirt she was modelling. Some influencers generate income through the commission they receive from followers who purchase garments they have linked to. Ms Pinover posted a fashion video on Feb 13 when the OPM held a call with federal agencies directing them to lay off thousands of employees – including 20 people on her own team, according to her Democrat-appointed predecessor Jack Miller. 'Your number one job as a leader is to protect and support your people,' Mr Miller told CNN. 'Instead of fighting tooth and nail to keep your team, we're posting fashion videos. It's absurd.' Here's McLaurine Pinover, Trump's Director of Communications for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), making and posting fashion influencer videos at work as her office was mass-firing government employees. Disgraceful. — Blue Georgia (@BlueATLGeorgia) March 11, 2025 The videos were filmed inside the office of the OPM communications director, which is located on the fifth floor of the agency's headquarters in Washington DC, according to former employees. According to federal regulations, government employees must not use public property 'for other than authorised purposes,' with exceptions for 'de minimis personal use'. 'She's the spokesperson for the agency that is advocating for the firing based on performance and efficiency of the rest of the government workforce, and she's using government property as a backdrop for her videos,' a former employee said.
