Hmm.
But while questions continue to swirl about whether Mr. Kelly will survive the scandal — he offered to resign on Friday — in Ms. Hicks’ case the West Wing trotted out a host of senior officials to defend her. On Friday the lineup included Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and senior adviser, and Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary.
“I have been impressed with Hope since I started working with her on the campaign,” Mr. Mnuchin said in a statement that was volunteered by an aide. “She is exceptionally talented in leading communications for the administration. I view her as an invaluable asset to the president and us all.”
Ms. Trump, who hired Ms. Hicks several years ago to work for her company before Ms. Hicks was tapped to serve on the Trump campaign in 2015, said Ms. Hicks was a “team player” who’d earned the president’s confidence.
(mobile.nytimes.com/...)
Reading the New York Times tonight credulously write about Trump and company’s deep and abiding respect for and loyalty to Hope Hicks, a mere day after “the White House” was moving to pin her with blame for the Rob Porter situation (www.dailykos.com/...), I had to grimace.
It has nothing to do with respect, much less loyalty, folks. Donald Trump, in case you didn’t notice, respects and is loyal to no others than himself and possibly his children on some level. The president and his family would give her the ugly treatment of anyone else in his way if they could get away with it. For now she simply can’t be scapegoated to the point of banishment, so on queue they praise her and roll out statements from trusted lieges to do the same.
What does Hicks know? A lot. A story at Daily Kos recently explained:
From the outside at least, Hicks’ role appears to be less shaping the White House message and more acting as Donald Trump’s phone and email filter. But that role has made it hard for Hicks to claim ignorance of some pretty tricky conversations.
(www.dailykos.com/...)
Hicks plainly knows way too much to be cast aside at this point.
President Trump’s aides received the list midflight on Air Force One on the way back from the summit meeting and began writing a response. In the plane’s front cabin, Mr. Trump huddled with Ms. Hicks. During the meeting, according to people familiar with the episode, Ms. Hicks was sending frequent text messages to Donald Trump Jr., who was in New York. Alan Garten, a lawyer for the younger Mr. Trump who was also in New York, was also messaging with White House advisers aboard the plane.
(mobile.nytimes.com/...)
The famous men in her life really are awful. On one level it is Hicks’ choice whom she wishes to date, but this assumes she is truthfully advised. It is not her choice to make a dangerous decision if she didn’t know the truth. Thankfully she now undeniably has full disclosure. Notwithstanding the Inside Edition framing, prior victims coming forward to speak the truth are courageous and vitally important to preventing future victims. She should be thanking them, not covering for their abuser.
Hicks is a grown and now informed woman and obviously should not have been involved in drafting a White House statement on the matter. (www.cnn.com/...)
But we should also realize she is way over her head. She is not in any position to know whom to trust these days. To her it must seem that all she can really hold onto is loyalty to Trump. In addition to fearing her boyfriend, she must also be very afraid of her abusive boss, most especially because he is obviously now very afraid of her. What a terrible place this young person finds herself in. She must feel like she cannot get out. Like countless women before her from all walks of life, she needs a shelter, figuratively and maybe literally.
Sunday, Feb 11, 2018 · 3:25:44 PM +00:00
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Galtisalie
I appreciate the interesting discussions in the comments below. I don’t want to overestimate the difficulty of extrication and restoration, but thought this empathy exercise was worthwhile. As I learned and acknowledged in responding to a comment: “Here is a link on her parents: heavy.com/... She is rather superbly positioned for post-criminal prosecution celebrity life, and extrication could also be far easier for her than if she didn’t have this privileged background and support.”