Discussion: Porter Joins Cohn, Pushes Back On Claim Materials 'Stolen' From Trump's Desk

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These people need to remember that Woodward has tapes.

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Wifebeatersezwut?

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So not stolen, but borrowed. Okay, next?

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While I could Ginzu the hell out of Porter’s statement, I gotta get going, so I’ll just leave this here.

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Non-denial denials.

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The *president asked probing questions, like why can’t we nuke anybody

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Woodward’s characterization “misunderstands how the White House document review process works.”

Oh I’m sure Woodward (and everyone else) understands how the document review prcess works in the Trump White House, the only person that doesn’t is Donald Trump, who’s shown a severe lack of understanding anything.

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n its time to gooooo

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How can you see something not happen that didn’t happen?

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Yeah, just wait until someone pushes Woodward too far and he starts pulling an Omarosa.

That’ll liven things up in the WH.

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This push back presumes anyone believes that this Whitehouse is competent enough to run long-established procedures. If they were, Porter would never have gotten one of the most security sensitive jobs in the US government.

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Hahaha he used the word vet.

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Do you really think Porter has read the book?

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Just downloaded the book (have been in CA for a week - will start reading on he plane tomorrow). Just thought I would post what Woodward said at the beginning of the book, since people seem to have problems with memory.

A heartfelt thanks to Evelyn M. Duffy, my assistant on five books that have covered four presidents. President Trump presents a particular hurdle because of the deep emotions and passions he brings out in supporters and critics. Evelyn immediately grasped that the challenge was to get new information, authenticate it and put it in context while reporting as deeply as possible inside the White House. Evelyn knew this was history and we had to get as much as possible quickly while memories were fresh and documentation and notes still available. At times we researched, interviewed, transcribed and rewrote sections of the book in a day or two covering foreign policy from North Korea to Afghanistan and the Middle East; and on the full range of domestic issues from trade, immigration and taxes. She made sure we built the story around specific scenes with specific dates, named participants and accounts of what happened. Evelyn maintains a remarkable work ethic and the deepest sense of fairness, curiosity and honesty. She provided me with thick packets of research, background, chronologies, clips, her insights, a list of major unanswered questions and additional interviews to pursue. Evelyn brought her endless good sense and wisdom, serving as full collaborator and in the spirit—and with the level of effort—of a coauthor.

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Porter said it was “misleading” –

Wifebeater who tried to launch a national political career notwithstanding his criminality, who tried to intimidate battered ex-wives from disclosing their abuse, who was aided by Senator Orrin Hatch invoking his status as a politician and Mormon Elder in attempting to silence them, has issue with “misleading” statement in Woodward’s book about how Porter handled documents on Trump’s desk. Advice to Porter: Remain underneath your rock.

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Porter’s comment could be read not as denying that he took things off Trump’s desk, but as justifying the removal as “vetting” instead of “resistance.” Let me explain.

Porter says he was responsible to make sure “that policy proposals were thoroughly vetted” and that “Fulfilling this responsibility does not make someone part of a ‘resistance’.” Suppose then that he saw a paper (like a letter to South Korea) on the president’s desk and thought it had not been “thoroughly vetted”? (Meaning, it was completely crazy.) Would he then remove it so that it could be properly vetted, like Woodward described?

Maybe Porter isn’t denying these actions, but recasting them as “business as usual” – in the Trump White House.

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I had exactly the same thought. Different words; same exact action. Maybe Porter would even call it “extreme vetting”. :joy:

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As Staff Secretary, I was responsible for managing the flow of documents to and from the Oval Office and ensuring that anything the President was asked to sign had been properly vetted. The suggestion that materials were “stolen” from the President’s desk to prevent his signature misunderstands how the White House document review process works…

The suggestion that materials were “stolen” from the President’s desk does not misunderstand anything. Instead, it indicates one of two things:

  1. That you failed to perform the duties of your job properly.
  2. That you were the one who “stole” materials from the President’s desk.
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As Staff Secretary, I was responsible for managing the flow of documents to and from the Oval Office and ensuring that anything the President was asked to sign had been properly vetted.

And how I was gonna impress Hope Hicks by telling her that Donald Trump had actually asked me to replace Jeff Sessions as Attorney General.

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