White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter announced his resignation last week after one of his ex-wives detailed his pattern of physical abuse and released photos of her injuries. We later learned that Porter was never able to obtain permanent security clearance from the FBI because of his behavior and we learned that the White House knew about it all along.
The White House has offered a dozen different explanations for their acceptance of Porter. They say he resigned. They say they fired him. They say they didn't know. They say they did know, but they didn't how bad it was. They say domestic abuse is unacceptable, but they also say he deserved the benefit of the doubt. Trump says Porter deserves "due process," as if that has ever stopped him from making wild accusations against anyone in his entire life.
"Lock her up!"
White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney made the rounds yesterday morning where he offered his own take on these events. Mulvaney first appeared CBS where he said the White House response to Porter's behavior and his departure was "reasonable and normal."
MAJOR GARRETT: Joining us now is White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney. He was also the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Board. Mr. Director, those issues are important, but first, it's a bad week for the White House in terms of personnel. Why shouldn't women reasonably wonder if this White House doesn't have a lax attitude when it comes to the question of domestic abuse?
MICK MULVANEY: I don't think we have a lax attitude. I think what you saw happened this week, Major, was completely reasonable and normal. The president--
MAJOR GARRETT: Reasonable and normal.
Mulvaney also appeared on Fox News where he said the White House response was "very human."
"It's much ado about nothing," Mulvaney said.
Mulvaney said it was a “very human reaction” for Trump and Kelly to initially give Porter the benefit of the doubt.
“As soon as Rob Porter was proven wrong, it was proven he was not telling the truth when the photos came out on Wednesday, he was gone almost immediately,” he said. Photographs were published of one of Porter’s ex-wives with a bruised eye.
A very human reaction.
In both appearances on CBS and Fox News, Mulvaney said they discovered Porter was "not telling the truth" after his ex-wife released the photos, but the story didn't end there.
Trump himself downplayed the accusations against Porter and said we shouldn't believe every accusation after he resigned; after the photos were released.
It's clear to me that Trump's defense of Porter and other domestic abusers is actually a defense of himself. Trump has been credibly accused of abuse and sexual assault by nearly two dozen women and those are just the ones we know about. For Trump to admit that accusations against those close to him may be legitimate is to admit the accusations against himself may be legitimate.