Trump questions lack of 'due process' after two aides resign over past allegations

[DonViejo]

Source: The Hill

BY REBECCA SAVRANSKY - 02/10/18 10:45 AM EST

President Trump on Saturday raised questions about a lack of due process after two White House aides resigned this week following allegations of past domestic abuse.

Link to tweet

Trump's comments come after former White House staff secretary Rob Porter resigned Wednesday after his two ex-wives came forward with allegations that he abused them physically and emotionally during their marriages.

The president on Friday praised Porter, saying he hopes Porter has a "great career ahead of him." He also said Porter did a "very good job" during his time in the White House and highlighted that Porter "says he's innocent."

The Washington Post reported Friday that White House speechwriter David Sorensen had also resigned after his former wife claimed he was violent and emotionally abusive during their marriage. Sorensen denied the allegations, saying he was the abuse victim.

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/373261-trump-questions-lack-of-due-process-after-two-aides-resign-over-past

[hatrack]

1. The Wounded Turd weeps hot, brown tears . . .

[Atticus]

2. Isn't "do" process that thing he does with his hair? nt

[monmouth4]

3. I wonder if Porter has some knowledge about tRump that we don't know, not yet. Seems like POTUS is

going a bit overboard on his compliments for Porter. If Porter talks to Mueller, could it be problematic for trump? HA, the thought of that delights me.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. "Due process," my fat pink ass.

Rob Porter was investigated by the FBI as part of the security clearance process, and it was determined he didn't qualify for a clearance because of a credible history of domestic violence, backed up by photographs and a restraining order. Dolt 45 is thinking about himself, of course.

I just fucking hate that guy.

[TomCADem]

37. GOP Sen. Cassidy: Democrat Al Franken 'was clearly drummed out' without due process

Not too long ago, many folks were attacking Democratic women in Congress because they called on Al Franken to resign without "due process."

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/11/gop-senator-al-franken-was-clearly-drummed-out-without-due-process.html

Sen. Cassidy: Constitution says Roy Moore must be seated if he wins Sen. Cassidy: Constitution says Roy Moore must be seated if he wins
12:46 PM ET Mon, 11 Dec 2017 | 01:48
Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy is drawing a distinction between sexual assault accusations against conservative Roy Moore and liberal Al Franken.

"I can't get inside Al Franken's mind but he was clearly drummed out. He did not have to quit" the Senate, Cassidy told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Monday. "There was not due process. Whatever you think about it, you have to have due process in our country. You can't have kangaroo courts. You have to allow people to be presented with evidence to refute it."

But that said, Cassidy last month withdrew his support of Moore, 70, the Republican candidate running against Democrat Doug Jones in Tuesday's special election to fill Alabama's open Senate seat.

As of Sunday, the RealClearPolitics average of major polls still gives Moore, a former Alabama Supreme Court judge, a narrow lead. But the latest Fox News poll shows Jones a full 10 points ahead.

[47of74]

5. Look fuckstain you wouldn't know due process if it walked up and bit you in the ass.

[unblock]

6. Channeling dr Seuss? Some are true and some are false. Some are old and some are new....

[underpants]

12. Ha! I was just about to make a comment about the Suessian element there

Of course Trump screwed it up or lost track mid tweet - true at the end would have rhymed with new.

[Botany]

15. Donny has a little golf car .... watch Donny drive very very far

[kydo]

24. His grand kids really need to stop reading to him. It's giving him stupid ideas. n/t

[bucolic_frolic]

7. Due Process #Benghazi #CentralParkFive

Benghazi! Benghazi! Benghazi!

You made your bed, Donnie. Lie in it.

[keithbvadu2]

8. I don't remember Donald supporting Al Franken.

I don't remember Donald supporting Al Franken.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/11/18/analysis-trump-mocks-franken-reticent-moore/877246001/

[SCVDem]

20. Al Franken!

That says it all!

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

36. Especially when you consider Trump's aids were accused of far worse behavior then Franken

The Senator was not accused of violence and there were no pictures of black eyes

[yallerdawg]

9. He had "due process" and we found him morally repugnant!

As did the people doing background checks, his ex-wives and girlfriends, and apparently everyone except one asshole temporarily trolling on twitter out of our White House!

Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock...

[sarcasmo]

10. Guess Dolt 45 didn't understand why the "lock her up" chant was wrong.

[Firestorm49]

11. BULL

This guy wouldn’t know due process if it bit him in the ass. And I’m trying to be nice!

[underpants]

13. Yes but hopefully he's about to get his own share of Due Process

right up the pooper hole.

[TeamPooka]

14. Trump - "Men just can't get a break."

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

27. Trump - "All women lie, without exception."

It's kind of hard to argue against past restraining orders and a photo of a black eye. The president should hold the people around him to the highest standards, although this president has gotten away with pussy grabbing all his life -- look, the Storm Daniels scandal has already blown over -- and so he just doesn't understand that because he gets away with abuse doesn't apply to all men.

[TeamPooka]

31. and he hates the FBI for telling him about stuff like Porter. And investigating him.

[SFnomad]

16. tRump never seemed to worry about "Due Process" when he was chanting "Lock. Her. Up" n/t

[47of74]

18. No shit.

To Fuck Face and the rest of the GOP due process is for wealthy conservative white men only. No one else need apply.

[FSogol]

17. Don't worry Trumpy, Mueller is working on the due process in your case.

[DURHAM D]

19. Hope Hicks wrote that tweet.

Her heart is broken that her boyfriend got bounced out of the WH and because Rob is very charming she believes him and not his former wives.

Also, you know Trump didn't write it because at the end it does not say "sad".

[keithbvadu2]

25. Hope, this guy is always available... His wife just doesn't 'understand' him.

Hope, this guy is always available... His wife just doesn't 'understand' him.
.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

32. Oh, she understands him; she just knows if she calls him on it she loses her meal ticket

and she's not a young, fresh-faced model anymore.

Rule #14 for Gold Digging: A bird in the hand -- even an ugly one -- is better than the possibility of one in your bush.

From Gold Digging for Idiots, page 241.

[keithbvadu2]

33. "doesn't understand"... His pickup line/rationale when on the prowl.

[Marthe48]

21. How to avoid these pesky scandals?

Attract and hire people with flawless backgrounds who can pass background security checks. But you don't know anyone but thugs, and your inner circle doesn't know anyone but thugs. All trump associations lead to russia, street toughs, shysters and dregs. And a trail of victims. Lots of victims.

[Chemisse]

22. I actually agree with the shithole on this point, although probably for different reasons.

He just wants to protect his fellow bullies from the repercussions of acts that, in Trump's mind, all men do now and then.

I, on the other hand, am uncomfortable with the public 'prosecution' of people based on allegations.

There is a reason why we have a court system, to deal with allegations such as these. People are sworn to tell the truth, evidence on both sides is admitted, and an impartial jury or judge makes a decision.

Most of the cases that have been well publicized and resulted in career loss over the past year or so have seemed pretty valid (with Al Franken's a notable exception). But I am very uncomfortable with the process of public accusation and trial by public opinion that seems to substitute for actual justice as of late.

One can make an argument that young girls or rape victims might not be able to formalize accusations, etc, at least not in a timely fashion. But in the Porter case, the ex-wives could have filed charges and allowed justice to take its course. Absent that, we really can't know for sure that he is guilty (yes, I know it sure looks like he is. The women are very credible.) and assessing that is not really our responsibility).

I can understand that just the suspicion of serious crimes rightfully cause dismissal of employees in sensitive positions, but the public should not be making judgments as to the actual guilt of the accused. All we should do is say we think he is guilty or it sure looks like he is guilty, but since it has not been proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law, we are not going to say he IS guilty.

[Nac Mac Feegle]

28. The part about the women pressing charges is good. Except for one not-so-small additional fact.

Porter is from Utah, and a Devout Mormon (tm)

Spending 40 years in the West, you get 'exposed' to the Church quite extensively.
Their idea of an ideal culture seems to be IBM in the 1950's.

Very corporate centered - Strict heirarchial organization, very male-centered (Think Mad Men, only with less imagination), very women subservient (stay home and make babies).

Of course very White, Coloreds Need Not Apply. Racist as hell.

What the man says, goes. They're still not quite all together with that non-polygamy thing.

If the RWNJ's want to talk about the horrors of "Shareeya Law", look at the small FLDS (Fundamental Latter Day Saints) towns up on the Utah - Arizona border. Ask about the Jeffs clan.

Any accusations the women would have brought forth would have been summarily dismissed out of hand. Depending on their upbringing, they could not have an easy time of even considering it.

This seems to be a very insular culture, very "Us vs Them". "Outsiders" are not really considered fully human, I've seen at times.

Really scary at times, especially if you're not "of the flock".

[Chemisse]

34. That is really unfortunate.

It's hard to believe there are really places like this in the U.S. And yet there are. They are the lands of Trump voters.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

30. While what you say is true, this involves a man who cannot get a Top Secret clearance

because of his past actions. The rules for getting a clearance are higher than "due process," erring on the side of caution because of the sensitivity of the material the individual is exposed to. (I know how thorough it is -- I went through the process when I got my Top Secret clearance when I joined the Strategic Air Command.)

For the past nine months Porter has had unrestricted access to all the information that passed the president's desk, including his Dr. Seuss books. If he can't pass the requirements for the security level to handle such materials, he shouldn't have that job now! After he's gone he can use due process to clear his name, but that will take a year or two to go through due process, and we can't continue give him unfettered access until that's resolved.

As mentioned in a previous post, where was Donnie Two Scoops' concern when Senator Franken was accused of sexual misconduct?

[Chemisse]

35. Losing his job for this is makes sense to me, considering that he can't get security clearance.

The burden is on the applicant to prove he is worthy of being allowed to handle classified material. And if he's not, he should not be in that job.

I just worry in general that suspicion and allegations are replacing due process in the eyes of the public. They should have quietly dismissed him because of his past alleged actions. Hopefully they will get rid of others in the administration who are in the same boat, perhaps starting with Jared Kushner.

[OldHippieChick]

23. This must be part of Bannon's whining about the death

of patriarchy. Men must get due process, but women must remain silent and obedient - unless those men are Dems.

[JDC]

26. The "Hiring Process" is what is lacking

This is just cover and distraction from that root.

[PatSeg]

29. They cannot get national security clearance

and as such, they cannot do they job. This is not necessarily about passing moral judgment on the men, though people are, it is about national security and the possibility that they could be blackmailed. Pretty much like the president of the United States I suppose.

[jmowreader]

38. This is the guy who wanted Hillary locked up

...and the Central Park Five executed without due process.

I think Trump should be introduced to due process, in the harshest way possible.

[J_William_Ryan]

39. More ignorance and stupidity from Trump.

Due process applies only to alleged crimes where the defendant is in jeopardy of being subject to a fine, imprisonment, or losing his life if convicted; or where government seeks to take private property.

Due process does not apply to political scandals where a politician might be compelled to resign.

[duforsure]

40. he wants trumps rule of law

Not ours. Only when he determines guilt like he did with the NYC's 5 that were prosecuted, then found innocent trump still called for their death penalty . He wants to be the judge , jury, and executioner, and only he determines guilt when it benefits himself. Porter knows stuff, plus trump probably knew all a long about his situation and still approved his working there still. Just like he's doing with Jared and many others. He could care less about women, or justice and law and order, or national security.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

41. There's clearly a lack of due process in Trump's eyes.

Trump never got a chance to call either one "a good man" before firing them.

Trump never got around to a clever ("clever" as defined by a seventh-grader), hopefully alliterative, certainly insulting nickname.

Lack of due process. Sad.

Oh, well, there's still Kelly.