Why is the Rob Porter Situation sticking?

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   crankaliciousposted 6 years ago

   I must admit, I'm quite surprised that the Rob Porter situation has the legs it does.
   
   Why do you think it seems to be persisting? When it first came up, I figured it would just drop by the wayside like so many other things. After all, haven't there been far more serious allegations and occurrences in the Trump White House?
   
   I will say, it's pretty clear that Porter is a serial abuser (two wives, interviewed separately by the FBI under oath, with pictures, and with the same story), but there have been so many other things. The payment to Stormy Daniels, Trump's own comments about women, Flynn resigning, indictments. It just seems like this is a drop in the bucket, yet it's holding on for some reason.
   
   The sad thing is, if Trump had just acknowledged the women's claims, dismissed Porter and told him not to let the door hit him in the ass on the way out, this would have all gone away. Instead, he's appeared to try to defend Porter. He could have also fired John Kelly right away and that would have taken care of it.
   
   I dislike Trump, but even the left-leaning media isn't reporting this in a way that seems to have that much to do with Trump unless somebody specifically told him about the allegations.

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      MizBejabbersposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      I'm not sure which media you watch, but CNN has said all along that Trump was mishandling the Rob Porter case by not saying that his office mishandled Porter's hiring. His office had the reports and knew he was a domestic abuser. I think you got it right in your next-to-the last paragraph. I share your opinion that this has gone on too long. I think the Trump organization now is drawing criticism because they are NOT handling it. Sarah Sanders has read stone faced from a couple of press releases that are their usual mealy mouth excuses.

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         crankaliciousposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         I agree, his office mishandled it. But it seems to me that of all the things he's said and done, this one doesn't necessarily touch him as much. Likely, his office screwed it up, but it seems unlikely that he personally knew anything about it immediately.
         
         Now, that's not to say that once he was informed, he didn't badly mishandle it, but it's still a far cry from some of the other stuff.

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      Randy Godwinposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      I think it's more about the number of people in the WH who cannot get a security clearance, with Jared Kushner being one, and are permitted to view classified info without the proper credentials. Porter's case is only the tip of the iceberg as we don't know what other skeletons are hiding in the many WH closets.

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         MizBejabbersposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         I think you are probably right here. This whole White House is one on-going scandal after another and they are all intertwined. However, I think the answer to Crankalicious' original question is that the White House doesn't give a damn if men are knocking women around, but the MeToo movement is making it stick.
         I also think that Crankalicious answered his own question in his next-to-the last paragraph.

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      PrettyPantherposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      I think it is sticking for several reasons:
      
      1)  The first reaction from John Kelly, who is supposed to be an honorable guy, was to defend a wife abuser.  He then changed his tune, but then lied about what he knew and when.
      2)  Trump, in his public statements, feels bad for Porter but says nothing about the women who were abused and, of course, mentions that Porter claims he is innocent.
      3)  The FBI contradicts the White House's timeline of events.
      3)  A second abuser is discovered to be working with no security clearance.
      4)  It's a pattern.  Trump is an abuser who defends and protects abusers; his staff does, too.
      5)  Since no real explanation or sincere apology or change in procedure has been announced by the President or any of his spokespeople, the scandal won't die.
      
      But, the biggest reason the story still has legs is the incompetence of the President and his staff.  They don't know what the hell they are doing.  The vast majority are a bunch of clueless sycophants who long ago gave away their souls to enable an unfit deviant to pretend to govern our nation.

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      Live to Learnposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      I have grown weary of the witch hunts. If guilty, bring charges. If convicted. Guilty. I don't know the Porter situation. I saw the pictures of a black eye on a woman. If he did it, if he was charged and convicted and did not get sentenced, he should not be in that position.
      
      Even though I do have a policy of hiring people convicted of crimes. Once your debt is paid it should be paid, across the board.
      
      Did he abuse anyone at the work place?

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         promisemposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Did Adolph Hitler?

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            Live to Learnposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            Yes. Porter and Hitler are so much alike. Of course. If they weren't, that would be a totally ignorant question.

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      promisemposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      The discovery of new facts is what keeps it alive.
      
      Other than MSNBC, I'm not sure what you mean about left-leaning media.

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      GA Andersonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Hi crankalicious. I think the reason the Porter story has stuck around is because the White House handled it poorly, and it can be validly tied to his administration.
      
      With all the bigger, as-yet unproven, Pres. Trump criticisms, (collusion?), it's like a bonus for anti-trump folks to have a valid criticism to trumpet.
      
      
      

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      IslandBitesposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Wait for it.
      
      Gina Rodriguez, a manager for Stephanie Clifford, who is also known as Stormy Daniels, said Wednesday that Clifford believes Michael Cohen voided the non-disclosure agreement with her by admitting he paid Clifford $130,000.
      
      Rodriguez added: "Everything is off now, and Stormy is going to tell her story."
      
      Clifford now believes she is free to talk about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump.

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         Randy Godwinposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Yuuuuuuuuck!  I don't want to even think about it!

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