And Then There Were None
A slow-motion pogrom has been playing out in the White House over the last few months, as Trump’s inner circle is being systematically drained of his closest confidantes. Since July, Trump has seen Sean Spicer, Michael Short, Reince Preibus, Anthony “the Mooch” Scaramucci, Steve Bannon, Sebastian Gorka, Tom Price, Dina Powell, Omarossa Newman, Rob Porter, Josh Raffel and, now, Hope Hicks head out the back door, with many of them detouring for an exit interview at the special prosecutor’s office.
The latest unraveling began when White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter, a kind of gatekeeper to the Oval Office, was exposed as a serial wife-batterer. Trump liked Porter’s male model looks, but reportedly chafed at his romantic relationship with Hicks. (Hicks had previously been linked to Trump’s former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, who who assaulted reporter Michelle Fields and was accused of slapping Joy Villa in the face.) Despite desperate pleas to save his position from his paramour and chief of staff John Kelly, the photos of his ex-wife’s bruised face finally did him in.
Then it was Hicks’ turn to be stuffed into the meat-grinder. To the befuddlement of many in her family, the swimsuit model-turned-PR flak has proved stubbornly loyal to Trump, sticking with him through his raggedly improvised campaign and riotous first year in office. She has steamed his suits, with Trump in them, endured his rants, done damage control for his idiot son and edited his Tweets. Though the evidence is scant, it’s been argued that Hicks exerted a calming influence over Trump’s stormy moods, as if a glimpse of Hope fluttering across the carpet of the Oval Office was all Trump needed to gratify his low-grade libido. Only Hope Hicks, it was said, could nurse Trump through the incoming flak from the morning papers and cable news shows. Who knows? Perhaps Hicks saved us from Trump launching a “fire and fury” attack on North Korea after he got all worked up over something Mika Brzezinski said on “Morning Joe.”
Still even Hicks couldn’t escape Trump’s wrath. After enduring eight hours of testimony before the ludicrous House Intelligence Committee, where she copped to telling a few “white lies” on behalf of her boss, which is, of course, the top line in the job description for White House Communications Director, Trump hauled Hicks into the Oval Office and berated her for her testimony. Given the treatment of women inside Chez Trump, Hicks can be thankful she only received a tongue-lashing. She leaked her intent to resign a few hours later.
https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/03/02/100142/
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