| | | | | President Trump speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC. Credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images | | | Rob Porter's White House Career Kaput: Another poorly handled staffing disaster for Trump's West Wing
Trump Quotes Jesus: But he was at the National Prayer Breakfast so it's ok, and it's also not about Arnold Schwarzenegger
Wait, It's Already Easter Egg Roll Time?: Yep. All the details on when and where to get tickets. | | | | Hunter Schwarz is off. His section will return Friday. | | What the White House is Talking About:
President Trump this morning spoke at the annual National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton. Later he meets behind behind closed doors at the White House with Henry Kissinger.
What the White House Press Corps is Talking About:
Big day for principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah, who helms his first press briefing at 2:30 p.m. today. Sarah Sanders is apparently on vacation. Shah's going to have a few hot topics to handle.
Trump Quotes Jesus at Prayer Breakfast:
Which feels like the right place to do so. Speaking from the podium, Trump acknowledged Congressman Steve Scalise, who last year suffered a gunshot wound, saying "Your presence reminds us of Jesus's words in the Book of Matthew: 'With God, all things are possible.'" Kind of different from last year's Prayer Breakfast when Trump took the time to ask for prayers for Arnold Schwarzenegger and "The Apprentice": "The ratings went right down the tubes. It's been a total disaster. And Mark [Burnett] will never, ever bet against Trump again, and I want to just pray for Arnold, if we can, for those ratings, OK?" Good times.
Rob Porter's White House Career is Kaput:
It was a whirlwind Wednesday of West Wing scrambling in the wake of reporting about White House staff secretary Rob Porter, whose two ex-wives spoke out about their abusive marriages, a story first reported in the Daily Mail. At yesterday's press briefing, Sanders said Porter was resigning, but that he would stick around in his role until there was a "smooth transition." By later that same afternoon, things were already bumpy and sources tell CNN that today is likely Porter's last day. In a nutshell, Sanders and chief of staff John Kelly had already put out on-the-record statements of support for Porter a day before when, quite frankly, they probably shouldn't have. That jumping of the gun made the White House response to the situation all the worse once pictures emerged of one of Porter's ex-wives with a black eye -- and after CNN's MJ Lee corroborated the Daily Mail reporting and added more detail of her own, such as the existence of a third woman who claims Porter was abusive. By bedtime, Kelly had reissued a statement, changing from: "Rob Porter is a man of true integrity and honor and I can't say enough good things about him. He is a friend, a confidante and a trusted professional. I am proud to serve alongside him." To: "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." (Still lacking, if you ask me.) Porter himself has yet to apologize, instead denying the charges and calling them a "coordinated smear campaign." | | Who Knew What and When:
The Porter thing will go down as another scandal handled without finesse by Trump's West Wing senior staff. But the question remains as to when Kelly knew about the depth and scope of Porter's alleged abuse, and whether it was a matter that was shoved down, or overlooked, or purposefully ignored. Whatever the reason, those around him in the White House bent over backward to protect him, and if they did that knowing his past, that's bad.
* I still find it pretty fascinating that this new Trump administration scandal played out because tabloid paparazzi caught Hope Hicks canoodling with Porter on a date in the back of a taxicab. Hicks' position in the White House led Daily Mail to poke around about Porter, which led to the information about his marriages, which led to the bravery his ex-wives demonstrated in coming forward and telling their stories to various journalists, which led to where we are now. As the late, famous gossip columnist Liz Smith once said, "Gossip is news running ahead of itself in a red satin dress."
I Can't Even With Orrin Hatch:
Listen, all I'm going to say is I think it's probably a good thing he's retiring at the end of the year because I find this fairly inexcusable and embarrassing.
Ditto, Fox News:
Which hasn't really touched the Porter stuff, even though politics aside it's totally a story worthy of airtime and discussion.
W Says Russia Meddled:
For the first time, former President George W. Bush weighed in on whether Russia interfered with our election. He thinks it happened. At a speech in Abu Dhabi, Bush said, "There's pretty clear evidence that the Russians meddled. Whether they affected the outcome is another question." | | Get Your Easter Egg Roll Tickets:
If you want them, that is. The lottery for free tickets opens tomorrow at noon. This year's Easter Egg Roll will take place on April 2nd. Find the details here, and also links to enter the ticket lottery and/or sign up to volunteer.
Going Into My Long Weekend Like:
I've got Olympic fever, guys! I'm headed to New Orleans today to spend some time with my family (and eat a lot of king cake and crawfish), but I'm totally tuning into the Winter Olympics because I love me some sports. Hunter will be here tomorrow for all your Cover/Line needs. | | | Credit: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images | | | | | | |
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