When Did You Stop Beating Your Wife?

Peoples lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation. Some are true and some are false. Some are old and some are new. There is no recovery for someone falsely accused - life and career are gone. Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 10, 2018

This is going to be with us for awhile, isn't it?

During an interview on CNN’s State of the Union, host Jake Tapper noted that Trump spoke in defense of Porter and his chief of staff, John Kelly, called the White House staffer a “man of honor” after two ex-wives came forward to alleged domestic abuse.

Conway argued that Trump made his remarks before disturbing photos emerged of one of Porter’s ex-wives with a black eye.

“A week ago I had no reason to believe that had ever happened,” she explained. “I have every reason to believe — you and I disagree on different issues, Jake — I have every reason to believe that you’re a loving, supportive husband. And it would be very hard for me to see otherwise.”

“But if I saw it, I would have to realize, this is not the Jake Tapper I know,” Conway added. “So, we do give people the benefit of the doubt.”

That's the way it happened if you're reading the news on this.  That's not the way it happened in real time, since Porter was denied a security clearance by the FBI for over a year over these precise allegations.  And the pictures weren't taken last week, either; just released publicly last week.  If Conway didn't know about that, or the pictures, Conway is very poorly informed for someone so close to the President, especially in matters concerning staff so close to the President.  Still, let's continue to confuse justice with process, and decide no one is guilty because nothing can be proved.  Ironic Trump is turning into the po-mo POTUS, isn't it?  (Yes, Porter lost his job.  So did Al Franken.  Both could have stayed and fought the allegations and demanded due process.  But politics doesn't work that way, and any property interest you have in a job in the private sector (the legal basis for sexual harassment claims) is pretty well lost in a job that depends entirely on the public perception of your character, and how that character reflects on the elected official who hired you.)

ADDING:  you want to know what's really going on, this is one place to find out.  I knew it was bad (what, wife-beating can be good?).  I had no idea it was this bad.  Being white and male and Harvard/Oxford educated has its privileges; especially if you get married twice and beat both wives on your honeymoons (!).  Especially telling is how many times the two ex-wives tried to tell their stories, and to so many people, and no one listened; not even in the White House.  This is not something Kellyanne Conway didn't know; it's something she chose to ignore.  As Dahlia Lithwick concludes:

They did nothing because he was visible to them and his accusers were nothing. But the tone comes from the top, and nobody should be even a bit surprised.

Sadly, I'm not.  Still, some people aren't fit to be among the civilized.