Author’s Note: When I wrote and published this Kelly’s statement wasn’t available online. As you can see at best it starts out as a half-assed attempt at sort of apology with talk of being “shocked” and saying domestic violence is unacceptable. But as it goes on Kelly’s statement makes it clear that anyone trying to give him the benefit of the doubt about sort of apologizing (I gave him no such benefit when Maddow read it) could easily see he was in no way apologizing but still defending Porter. See for yourself:
"I was shocked by the new allegations released today against Rob Porter," Kelly said. "There is no place for domestic violence in our society. I stand by my previous comments of the Rob Porter that I have come to know since becoming Chief of Staff, and believe every individual deserves the right to defend their reputation. I accepted his resignation earlier today, and will ensure a swift and orderly transition."
John Fucking Kelly has revealed just how much like his boss he is. It’s long been said of tRump that when you think he can’t sink any lower he does. Now we can say that about Kelly. Kelly long ago dishonored his uniform and General’s stars, and shows no signs of giving a rat’s ass about it. The more of his character that’s revealed the uglier it gets.
I’ve been watching Maddow and she read a statement Kelly has released within the last hour. It starts along the lines of saying “I’m shocked, shocked I say to hear about these “new’ accusations.” It was the “new” part in the statement she read that got my attention. I looked for the statement online and it’s not posted yet btw. But the statement went on, and made clear that although Kelly was “shocked” he doesn’t believe the accusations. Or, if he does it’s not a big deal and certainly not enough to disqualify Porter from a job that provides him more time with the President each day than anyone else at the White House (Melania sleeps in a different bedroom!). Kelly’s latest statement waxed poetic about how the Portman he knows isn’t that kind of guy.
Basically he backed up Porter’s statement about being the “victim of a coordinated attack.”
Never mind that the FBI clearly found the allegations by both of Porter’s ex wives credible enough that it’s kept them from approving his security clearance. More importantly Kelly had to be aware of all this. And ignored it. Not one, but both of Porter’s ex wives made credible allegations of abuse and at least one noted that many people were aware of it — enough that he’d be subject to blackmail. Reading accounts from both women one can see classic patterns of abusers — committing verbal and physical abuse and then apologizing and promising to do better, slowly drawing them in to a long cycle of abuse.
Remember when John Kelly stood at the podium and amidst all the incredulous things he said he spoke about remembering when women were sacred? Turns out he left out some details after the word sacred. As in what he was apparently taught by older men as he grew up in Boston.
It’s clear that had he expanded to what he really meant by that was:
“I remember when women were sacred (here’s what Kelly left out) property of their husbands. If a man needed to slap his woman around or even beat her to keep her in line his right to do so was sacred.”
THAT is what Kelly meant by sacred.
I worry for his wife. With that kind of attitude I fear for what she’s had to live with. What kinds of threats she endured all those years as he rose in ranks in my beloved Corps. And what I can easily imagine him saying to her in recent days as this story about Porter has broken open — telling her that he was a helluva lot more powerful than Porter so don’t go getting any ideas about leaving.
I have no trouble believing what I’ve just written about Kelly. He is every bit as bad as the man he serves.
And like the President he serves Kelly has made it clear there is no depth to which he cannot sink.
From the President on down this administration is filled with men who abuse women. Bannon, Pudzer, now Porter and who knows who else? Multiple men that we know of who are abusers and use their power to threaten victims into silence or recanting (tRump’s first wife for example) allegations.
They are beyond deplorable. They are despicable.
***UPDATE: 2/8/18
“every individual deserves the right to defend their reputation.”
The quote above is from Kelly’s statement last night. For those who’ve never been through any type of Security Clearance process it’s important to know a bit about how it’s done to understand the significance of that quote and why it’s further proof of how despicable Kelly is. When you fill out the form (SF-86) that provides the starting point for your background investigation it’s explained that if the agency (in this case the FBI due to the high level nature of the clearance sought) conducting it will, if they find information to be incomplete or inconsistent with granting your clearance sit down with you to go over the incorrect, incomplete or troubling information. If in their judgement any omissions or mistakes were inadvertent and/or honest mistakes your clearance can move forward. Same thing regarding information that cast doubt on your fitness for the clearance you are seeking — you get a chance to explain why the investigating agent(s) are wrong to deny your clearance and/or provide mitigating circumstances/information or other evidence to support your claim that the agents haven’t discovered all the relevant facts. .
IOW you get the chance then and there to defend yourself!
After further investigation of your side the may or may not agree with you that their initial concerns were unfounded. In this case the FBI stuck with its original assessment that Porter did not qualify for the clearance Kelly damn well knows this. Porter DID get the chance to defend himself to the FBI agents processing his Security Clearance. And they STILL made the determination that he should NOT be granted a Clearance. The FBI found the allegations of abuse credible! QED — Porter did get his chance to defend himself and failed.
Kelly knows this. Which makes his statement last night all the more appalling. Kelly is so full of shit his eyes are going to turn brown.
