“The best people” - WH Staff Secretary dating Hope Hicks resigns after spousal abuse allegations

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everything President Trump does or says is calculated (albeit not always carefully) to serve a purpose or convey a message.

It was important - even essential - that President Trump make this statement of faith in, and praise of, former White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter.

Trump is reciprocating to Rob Porter the faith and loyalty that Trump expects Rob Porter to maintain to him going forward, and Trump is telegraphing to Porter the potential future Porter still has with this administration, the Trump organization, and/or its connections. "We still believe in you", is the loud-and-clear message. Remember that Rob Porter is an ambitious man who has just seen his future prospects substantially diminished, if not eviscerated. Trump has just thrown Porter some a lifeline of hope for a future career.

The understood caveat is that President Trump will maintain that future career hope for Porter, but only if, Porter reciprocates that loyalty and faith back to Trump. Recall that Rob Porter is a man who has observed and heard many private conversations, and seen many classified documents, and could potentially serve as an important witness in the Mueller investigation. Trump just sent Porter a message to discourage him from doing so. Trump has rightly calculated that it is better to experience some public blow back for supporting and praising Porter, than to risk alienating Porter and turning him into a friendly witness for Mueller.

Well, true. But Trump will turn around and f--k him in the a-- if he needs to. He swore loyalty to his friend Mike Flynn, too, and turned on him in a flash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kelly knew before abuse reports that Porter would be denied security clearance.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/08/john-kelly-rob-porter-security-clearance-400987

Kelly knew before abuse reports that Porter would be denied security clearance

The former White House staff secretary, who left the Trump administration on Thursday, was among multiple West Wing aides who had been working with only an interim security clearance.

White House chief of staff John Kelly was told several weeks ago that the FBI would deny full security clearances to multiple White House aides who had been working in the West Wing on interim security clearances.

Those aides, according to a senior administration official, included former White House staff secretary Rob Porter, who left the White House on Thursday after reports that he physically and verbally abused his two ex-wives.

.
The White House chief-of-staff told confidants in recent weeks that he had decided to fire anyone who had been denied a clearance — but had yet to act on that plan before the Porter allegations were first reported this week.

Trump jokingly told economic adviser Gary Cohn several months ago that while he initially thought Porter was “just some guy who handed me papers,” he had since realized that Porter was “the smartest guy in the White House.”

Porter, Trump told Cohn, had not one but two degrees from Harvard — one from the undergraduate college and one from the law school — and he was a Rhodes Scholar. “Even Gorsuch wasn’t a Rhodes Scholar,” Trump said, referring to Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, who spent two years at Oxford on a Marshall Scholarship.

“Maybe he’ll be my next Supreme Court pick,” Trump said.

So who are the other people who aren’t going to get their security clearances and why are they still working with classified information weeks after Kelly found out?

They may be people like Rob Porter, who have background "issues", which make issuing them a security clearance very difficult, if not impossible. These are quite strategic options to have as staffers in a White House which is being investigated. The fact that the White House is aware of their "issues", and is still willing to employ and protect them, makes these kind of no-clearance staffers particularly loyal to the White House. And if their background "issues" should be discovered, as Porter's were, then everyone except the White House will professionally eschew them for those "issues". The President will still support their professional futures, as he did for Porter today, and thus the resigning no-clearance staffers with background "issues" will remain particularly loyal allies to an administration under investigation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everything President Trump does or says is calculated (albeit not always carefully) to serve a purpose or convey a message.

It was important - even essential - that President Trump make this statement of faith in, and praise of, former White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter.

Trump is reciprocating to Rob Porter the faith and loyalty that Trump expects Rob Porter to maintain to him going forward, and Trump is telegraphing to Porter the potential future Porter still has with this administration, the Trump organization, and/or its connections. "We still believe in you", is the loud-and-clear message. Remember that Rob Porter is an ambitious man who has just seen his future prospects substantially diminished, if not eviscerated. Trump has just thrown Porter some a lifeline of hope for a future career.

The understood caveat is that President Trump will maintain that future career hope for Porter, but only if, Porter reciprocates that loyalty and faith back to Trump. Recall that Rob Porter is a man who has observed and heard many private conversations, and seen many classified documents, and could potentially serve as an important witness in the Mueller investigation. Trump just sent Porter a message to discourage him from doing so. Trump has rightly calculated that it is better to experience some public blow back for supporting and praising Porter, than to risk alienating Porter and turning him into a friendly witness for Mueller.

+1. Trump knows Porter has a JD from Harvard Law and has witnessed a sh*t-ton of discussions about Mueller-Comey-McCabe-Sessions-Rosenstein-McGahn-Manafort-Page-Papadopoulos-Yates ...

I forgot that Porter is not only intelligent and highly-educated, but that he is also an attorney, so he certainly knows when legal lines were crossed. And he has seen and heard oh so much while serving President Trump very closely.

[Anonymous]

McGahn knew and did nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:McGahn knew and did nothing.

I think that White House Counsel Don McGahn is an good example of why it is so difficult to work for the Trump administration, and particularly in the White House and closely with the President. You potentially/certainly expose yourself to a thicket of legal and ethical issues on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. And while you may successfully evade some thorns, as McGahn ethically did when he threatened to resign if President Trump moved to dismiss Mueller, you will nevertheless get caught up in others. Don McGahn is a good attorney, but he clearly made a big mistake, and exhibited a huge practical and ethical lapse of judgment, when he allowed Rob Porter to continue as a non-clearance WH Staff Secretary, after the became aware of the incidents/allegations of domestic violence. Unfortunately Don McGahn will now be remembered as much for this professional error as for his courage in confronting President Trump about Mueller.

[Anonymous]

Trump is stuck with Kelly. It's not like there's a line of quality applicants for the job.

[Anonymous]

Why must Hope Hicks date her colleagues? I was always told that was in bad taste to do that if you’re trying to be taken seriously in your career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trump is stuck with Kelly. It's not like there's a line of quality applicants for the job.

Rumor is Rick Mulvaney is leading candidate to take over for Kelly.

Personally, I'd prefer him to be out of OMB and CFPB where he's creating havoc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Trump is stuck with Kelly. It's not like there's a line of quality applicants for the job.

Rumor is Rick Mulvaney is leading candidate to take over for Kelly.

Personally, I'd prefer him to be out of OMB and CFPB where he's creating havoc.

They’ll just find another repugnant asshole to replace him; hand-picked by Mulvaney.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why must Hope Hicks date her colleagues? I was always told that was in bad taste to do that if you’re trying to be taken seriously in your career.

Career? She’s an administrative assistant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trump is stuck with Kelly. It's not like there's a line of quality applicants for the job.

I heard Trey Gowdy will be available soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why must Hope Hicks date her colleagues? I was always told that was in bad taste to do that if you’re trying to be taken seriously in your career.

Career? She’s an administrative assistant.

That’s not what her title says. Says she’s the head of communications which is a big job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Trump is stuck with Kelly. It's not like there's a line of quality applicants for the job.

I heard Trey Gowdy will be available soon.

I don’t think any of the retiring R Congressmen are in a hurry to run right over and serve in the Trump administration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why must Hope Hicks date her colleagues? I was always told that was in bad taste to do that if you’re trying to be taken seriously in your career.

Career? She’s an administrative assistant.

That’s not what her title says. Says she’s the head of communications which is a big job.

Sure. And Trump’s title is POTUS. She’s 29. And last I checked communications seem to be a bigly problem.

[Anonymous]

Why is Rob Porter not in jail? Anyone else beating up three women would be serving time.