As absolute dictator on NBC’s “The Apprentice,” Donald Trump delighted in firing one contestant every week.
As President of the United States, he has delighted in firing such high-ranking government officials as:
- Acting Attorney General Sally Yates
- FBI Director James Comey
- White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci
- Presidential Chief Strategist Steve Bannon
- United States Attorney Preet Bharara
But there have been some officials Trump has fought to retain. Among these:
- National Security Adviser Michael Flynn
- White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter
- White House Speechwriter David Sorensen
MICHAEL FLYNN had fervently supported Trump during his 2016 campaign for President. He was rewarded with appointment to National Security Adviser on January 20, 2017—the same day Trump became President.
But later in January, Acting Attorney General Sally Yates warned Trump that Flynn had lied about his contacts with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak—and that he could be blackmailed by Russian Intelligence.
Michael Flynn at the Republican convention
In December, 2016, Flynn had spoken to Kislyak about removing the sanctions placed on Russia by the outgoing Obama administration. The sanctions had been placed in retaliation for Russia’s efforts to manipulate the 2016 Presidential election.
Instead of firing Flynn, Trump fired Yates.
On February 13, The Washington Post reported these events. Flynn was forced to resign that same day—after only 24 days as National Security Adviser.
STAFF SECRETARY ROB PORTER had the task of vetting all the information that reached Trump’s desk. He resigned February 7 after two of his ex-wives accused him of years of physical and emotional abuse.
Rob Porter
Colbie Holderness, Porter’s first wife, told CNN that the physical abuse began almost immediately after their 2003 wedding. During their honeymoon trip to the Canary Islands, Porter kicked her thigh during a fight.
“The thing he would do most frequently is he would throw me down on a bed and he would just put his body weight on me and he’d be yelling at me but as he was yelling he’d me grinding an elbow or knee into my body to emphasize his anger,” she said. He also repeatedly choked her.
While the couple visited Florence, Italy, in the summer of 2005, Porter punched Holderness in the face.
Jennifer Willoughby, Porter’s second wife, married him in 2009. During their honeymoon in Myrtle Beach, he began calling her “a fucking bitch” because he felt she was not having enough sex with him.
In the spring of 2010, Porter came to the home they had previously shared and punched a glass pane in the front door, cutting his hand.
Willoughby called police, who suggested that she take out a temporary restraining order. She did so in June, 2010.
In December, 2010, according to Willoughby, “we were in a fight and I disengaged from the fight after screaming at each other. I took a shower and Rob followed me fairly shortly after and grabbed me from the shower by my shoulders up close to my neck and pulled me out to continue to yell at me.
“He immediately saw the look of shock and terror on my face and released me and apologized and attempted to make things right.”
They divorced in 2013.
SPEECHWRITER DAVID SORENSEN resigned on February 9. His ex-wife, Jessica Corbett, told the Washington Post that he put out a cigarette on her hand, drove a car over her foot, threw her into a wall and grabbed her by the hair when they were alone on a boat off the Maine coast.
Sorensen denied the allegation in a statement he released to CNN and other news media: “I have never committed violence of any kind against any woman in my entire life. In fact, I was the victim of repeated physical violence during our marriage, not her.”
He claimed he had spoken with an attorney about suing his ex-wife for defamation.
And how did Trump respond to these revelations?
On February 9, he told reporters that Porter’s departure was “very sad” and that “he did a very good job while he was in the White House.”
Donald Trump
Trump did not express any sympathy for the women Porter allegedly abused.
Instead, he focused on Porter’s claim of innocence: “He says he’s innocent and I think you have to remember that. He said very strongly yesterday that he’s innocent but you’ll have to talk to him about that.”
On February 10—the day after Sorensen resigned—Trump took to Twitter to post:
“Peoples lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation. Some are true and some are false. Some are old and some are new. There is no recovery for someone falsely accused – life and career are gone. Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?”
As Chris Cillizza, CNN’s editor-at-large wrote in a February 9 opinion column:
“This is a familiar pattern for Trump. When a series of women came out during the 2016 campaign alleging that he has sexually abused them, he flatly denied it — insisting that all of the women were conspiring to hurt him for political reasons.
“When a series of women came forward and said that Alabama Senate nominee Roy Moore had pursued physical relationships with them when they were teenagers and he was in his mid 30s, Trump defended his endorsement of Moore, saying: ‘He totally denies it. He says it didn’t happen.'”
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TRUMP: THE ABUSER’S FRIEND: PART TWO (END)
In Bureaucracy, History, Law, Politics, Social commentary on February 15, 2018 at 12:02 amIn one week, two White House staffers were forced to resign after reports surfaced of their brutality toward their wives.
And President Donald Trump’s reaction was to defend the accused wife-beaters and accuse their ex-wives of lying:
“Peoples lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation. Some are true and some are false. Some are old and some are new. There is no recovery for someone falsely accused – life and career are gone. Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?”
What are the lessons to be learned from this?
First, Donald Trump has his own history of abusing women.
At least 22 women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct between the 1970s and 2013. And Trump flat-out denies the accusations–which include ogling, harassment, groping, and rape—while attacking the women as “liars.”
“Every woman lied when they came forward to hurt my campaign,” he said during a 2016 campaign rally in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. “Total fabrication. The events never happened. Never. All of these liars will be sued after the election is over.”
The election ended on November 8, 2016. And Trump has yet to sue any of his accusers.
So it’s not surprising that when similar accusations strike men he has around him, he leaps to their defense.
Second, Trump fires women-abusing staffers only when the news media outs them.
Accused wife-abuser Rob Porter resigned from his staff secretary position at the White House only after his two ex-wives detailed their abuse to CNN.
According to CNN, White House Chief of Staff John Kelley knew for months that Porter faced claims of physically and emotionally abusing these women. But he never conducted an inquiry to find out if the claims were true or false.
It’s safe to assume that Porter would still be on the White House payroll if CNN hadn’t reported the abuses.
Third, don’t expect Trump to show any sympathy for alleged female victims.
Donald Trump
Trump has repeatedly shown his contempt for women through abusive and humiliating language. For example:
Fourth, Trump has often defended men who were charged with abusing women.
Fifth, any criticism of sexual harassment—or even outright criminality—must come from outside the White House.
Trump’s defense of accused White House staffers Rob Porter and David Sorensen drew fire from prominent Washington officials.
“Women’s lives are upended every day by sexual violence and harassment. I’m going to keep standing with them, and trusting them, even if the President won’t,” tweeted U.S. Democratic Senator Patty Murray.
And Democrat Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont tweeted: “As a former prosecutor, I’ve been amazed by the bravery & sacrifice required of victims to come forward. Their lives are forever changed,. Due process is critical, but it can’t be a pretext for not believing women. We don’t need to see photos of bruises to know that.”
Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier of California tweeted: “Apparently his motto is when they go low, he goes even lower.”
Sixth, in assessing Trump’s character, two essential truths should be constantly remembered:
“Tell me whom you admire, and I will tell you who you are.”
And:
“What is past is prologue.”
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