Sexual and physical abuse have been bleeding all over the Donald Trump White House. That does not even include the 19+ women who have charged the president with sexual violations. Things are so bad, that 45 has to deal with legislation in the dark of a reporters shut-out.
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced legislation in 2017 that strengthened the legal requirements of reporting sexual abuse. It did not go anywhere until the case of former USA Gymnastics physician Larry Nassar saw the light of day.
Feinstein commented on the bill to Roll Call:
‘The meeting made clear that USA Gymnastics was fostering a culture that put money and medals first, far ahead of the safety and well-being of athletes.’
Nassar was accused of sexually assaulting over 150 young women in the gymnastics program when they came to him for medical attention. The judge sentence the molester to 175 years in prison.
Public attention to this horrid situation gave Feinstein’s bill the shove it needed to pass through Congress.
The Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse Act makes it a legal requirement for specific adults who deal with young athletes to report child abuse. The legislation specifies that this abuse includes sexual abuse.
A member of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team that took the Olympic gold medal in 1996, Dominique Moceanu, told Roll Call:
‘Thank you to the public servants who heard our voices and for the bipartisan support of this bill. Thanks to you and the voices of survivors, we can now confidently say that future generations of children participating in sports will be safer. It is more imperative than ever to work together to protect athletes and provide safe environments for them. Weeding out the abusers and bad actors and their enablers is a major part of that.’
Now that the White House is faced with the dilemma of recently released staff secretary, Rob Porter, issues regarding women have become a greater problem for Donald Trump. The secretary could not pass his FBI background check, because he physically and emotionally abused two ex-wives and a former girlfriend.
Rather than shove the abuser out of the door, the White House decided to keep its murky secret and Porter. The secretary could not pass muster, because he was subject to blackmail. Yet, every day for seven months after the background check, the most sensitive material passed through his hands and on to the president.
After public attention forced Chief of Staff Robert Mueller to fire Porter, Trump gave his former employee a glowing send-off. The president expressed how sad he was and how sad Porter was. Never once did the man in the Oval Office mention spousal abuse or the women Porter injured.
Critics urged Trump to come out against domestic violence, but the president could not find it within himself to do so. He simply walked away from reporters’ questions on the issue.
White House Press Secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders read a statement to the room, which she said 45 dictated. It stated his support for victims of domestic violence.
After this tumultuous series of events, the president decided to sign Feinstein’s bill without the media being present, according to the president’s schedule.
Featured Image via Getty Images/Spencer Platt.
