Preparing for the fallout
The Trump administration doesn’t do a great job of vetting the people it hires. Maybe that’s because the Boss Man is such a rancid specimen himself that they want him to have company, or want him not to feel weird and out of step, or have no idea what a decent human being even is? Or maybe it’s because they prefer rancid specimens.
One of them has just quit because of embarrassing revelations.
A senior White House official announced Wednesday he is resigning following allegations by his two ex-wives of physical and emotional abuse.
The official, Rob Porter, served as the staff secretary and often controlled the paper flow to President Trump’s desk, along with his daily schedule. Porter also oversaw the White House’s policy implementation process and worked closely with Chief of Staff John F. Kelly to try to instill discipline in the chaotic West Wing. He spent hours of the day with Trump and frequently traveled with him on Air Force One.
Yeah well. Trump assaulted Ivana that time; Bannon beat up his wife; maybe they just think it’s normal.
Senior West Wing aides spent part of Wednesday morning preparing for the fallout from his departure. Many senior officials, including Kelly, urged Porter to stay, according to White House advisers.
…
The White House issued statements of support late Tuesday from Kelly, Sanders and Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), Porter’s previous boss in the Senate.
“Rob Porter is a man of true integrity and honor and I can’t say enough good things about him. He is a friend, a confidante and a trusted professional. I am proud to serve alongside him,” Kelly said Tuesday night, hours before pictures appeared that included Holderness’s blackened eye.
On Tuesday night, Hatch released a statement supportive of Porter.
“It’s incredibly discouraging to see such a vile attack on such a decent man,” he said. “Shame on any publication that would print this — and shame on the politically motivated, morally bankrupt character assassins that would attempt to sully a man’s good name. I know Rob. I’ve known him for years, both as a close friend and as a personal advisor. He is kind and considerate towards all. The country needs more honest, principled people like Rob Porter, which is why I hope that this cynical campaign to discredit his character ultimately fails.”
Wait a second. If he’s decent and kind and considerate towards all, why is he working for Trump? Why is he part of the administration of a man who is conspicuously and calculatedly none of those things?
Yes, they do. I grew up in a similar type of environment, and had no idea other children in my school were not being regularly assaulted. For some people, violence has been such a normal part of life that they do not understand it is not a normal part of life. It was something I had to unlearn – fortunately for my son, I was never the abuser. I had to learn to quit being the abusee.
“… and often controlled the paper flow to President Trump’s desk…”
I’ll bet that took a lot of effort. The comics page isn’t that heavy.
And what would “uncontrolled” flow look like?
But YNnB, a number of those daily cartoons carry a pretty heavy load.
I think this is the key. Trump wants to surround himself with people who share his idea of what “locker room banter” is; when such people turn out to be abusive we shouldn’t be surprised.
iknklast, I had a similarly hard start to life and vowed never to be the violent, abusive person that my ‘father’ was. Oddly, I’ve found it very easy to not slap, punch, or constantly terrify my own family (or anybody else; even when working as a bouncer I preferred being a restrainer, not a hitter). I’m saying this not because I want a cookie, but because it seems to me that many people are bastards because they like being bastards, and things certainly won’t change when even the president’s closest aides defend them.
I’m not confused about them sheltering this guy.
I’m confused about
1. How this guy could perform that job without a security clearance, and
2. Why they didn’t just breach protocol and give him a clearance he wasn’t qualified for, given that they gave clearances to so many other people already who didn’t deserve them.
Its just sloppy is all.
I am so old that I remember when “fallout” meant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fallout
I’ve been victim of accidental fallout, and I’m still barred from that swimming pool as a result.