For the last two weeks, Washington has been fixated on a farcically complex issue involving the oversight of federal law-enforcement and intelligence agencies. In the minds of most voters, however, the president’s well-received State of the Union Address probably loomed larger than the squabbling over whose memo was the most scandalous. That’s over.
The first post-State of the Union news cycle began on Friday, the third day of the story involving the firing of a White House staffer credibly accused of physically abusing women. Until today, Donald Trump could claim to have been a victim here. He was kept in the dark about the alleged batterer in his midst by an overprotective staff, many of whom bungled the controversy surrounding his exposure. No more. Trump has now managed to put himself at the center of a controversy that will have legs.
The Porter story was already ugly before Trump became involved. On Wednesday, a report detailing the White House staff secretary’s alleged abuses of women with whom he had been involved was published to widespread revulsion. The report included graphic images of the damage he had done to one of his alleged victims and provided details of the temporary protective order sought and obtained against him by another. The White House immediately rushed to Porters’ defense. White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a glowing defense of Porter’s character and comportment. Communications Director Hope Hicks was reportedly involved in the drafting of one of those statements, despite her romantic involvement with the accused.
Sources in the White House told reporters that ranking members of the administration wanted Porter to weather the scrutiny—they thought he could survive it. But he couldn’t. The scandal grew worse as the details emerged indicating that the relevant figures in the administration were aware of the allegations against Porter months before they become public knowledge. Porter resigned, only then prompting White House officials like Kelly to claim to have been “shocked” by the revelations about his deputy.
As of Friday morning, Trump had a reasonable claim to denying involvement in all this. His staffers kept him in the dark. Hope Hicks put her personal interests before those of the president. The president was reportedly furious over the compartmentalization of this issue in his White House, as he should have been. That exculpatory narrative went right out the window on Friday when the president finally weighed in on the controversy. His statement must be read in its entirety to be believed:
We wish him well. He worked very hard. We found out about it recently, and I was surprised by it. But we certainly wish him well, and it’s a tough time for him. He did a very good job when he was in the White House, and we hope he has a wonderful career, and he will have a great career ahead of him. But it was very sad when we heard about it, and certainly he’s also very sad now. He’s also, as you probably know, says he’s innocent and I think you have to remember that. He said very strongly yesterday that he’s innocent, so you have to talk to him about that, but we absolutely wish him well. He did a very good job when he was at the White House.
There was no mention of the ordeal endured by any of Porter’s accusers, or the fact that they had to go public with their concerns about him for them to be taking seriously. There was no concern for the wellbeing of women who may be the victims of similar abuse. In fact, from his comments, you could be forgiven for thinking that Trump believed Porter is the victim here.
You can judge the potential for a story to become an all-consuming controversy based on a few simple criteria. Is it easily summarized? Can a lay person who isn’t plugged into the political day-to-day understand it intuitively? Does it reinforce existing preconceptions or biases about the individuals or institutions involved? This story now fits all three of those criteria. No one needs to be politically astute to understand a scandal involving the claim that the president behaved with abhorrent callousness upon learning that one of his staffers allegedly beat women. Moreover, this fits into an existing narrative about Trump’s disregard for the women who accuse men of misconduct—a particularly potent charge in the #MeToo moment.
The ad writes itself. Strings swell to a melancholy crescendo as a grainy image of Porter’s ex-wife Colbie Holderness comes into view, one eye swollen and bruised from an alleged punch to the face. “It’s a tough time for him,” Trump says as the image comes into focus. “We hope he has a wonderful career and he will have a great career ahead of him . . . He said very strongly yesterday that he’s innocent, so you have to talk to him about that, but we absolutely wish him well.”
The Porter scandal has officially become a Trump scandal.
