Trump calls for ‘due process’

US President Donald Trump seemed to frame the downfall of a pivotal aide accused of abusing his wives as a character assassination, adding to the tumult that has engulfed the White House and imperiled chief of staff John Kelly’s hold on his job.

Trump vented in a tweet that appeared to take aim at the #MeToo movement about sexual abuse and echoed his own denials of sexual impropriety in the face of accusations from more than a dozen women. “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?”

The President has fumed that Kelly was too slow in bringing the allegations against staff secretary Rob Porter to his attention. That has added to Trump’s frustrations about the chief of staff’s attempts to control him. Trump has begun floating possible names for a future chief of staff in conversations with outside advisers. Among the names being considered: Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Congressman Mark Meadows and CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

The President’s tweet came a day after he wished Porter well in his future endeavours and made no mention of his alleged victims. He said he hopes Porter “will have a great career ahead of him”.

“That’s like saying that axe murderer out there, he’s a great painter,” said former VicePresident Joe Biden. “Is there any other crime — and it’s a crime — where there would be an explanation that the reason why we shouldn’t pay attention to the transgression is because they’re good at something?”— AP