Rep. Pramila Jayapal talks about the scandal embroiling the White House over former Staff Secretary Rob Porter, who resigned after evidence surfaced that he had abused his two ex-wives. On Tuesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray testified to the Senate that the FBI had told the White House about the physical and verbal abuse allegations that were holding up Porter’s background check months earlier than the White House has admitted. Jayapal talks about why she has called for White House Chief of Staff John Kelly to resign, as well as her support for impeachment proceedings against Trump.
TRANSCRIPT
AMY GOODMAN: Finally, it’s day eight of the Porter scandal, of the staff secretary, a very high role in the White House, very close to Trump, with CNN reporting he was going to be elevated to deputy chief of staff. Well, this was all until — not information came to the White House about him beating up his two wives, one we now have a picture, but only because a picture came out showing the black eye of one of his wives. So, you have this question of what the White House knew, when they knew it, including President Trump himself, not to mention General Kelly, his chief of staff, and his speechwriter quitting over —
REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL: Yeah.
AMY GOODMAN: — Sorensen, over allegations that he ran over his wife — ran over her foot. And you have the women themselves who have accused President Trump of sexually harassing or assaulting them, saying they want Congress to investigate the president himself. Your thoughts?
REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL: Well, I’ve called for General Kelly to step down. I think it is outrageous that a chief of staff would allow an alleged abuser, with hard evidence, not from just random sources, but from the FBI, to actually stay, that he would propose that he be promoted, that he would be given the highest, essentially, access to classified information without permanent security clearance.
You know, #MeToo — Amy, you know this better than anybody — #MeToo was not just about the women who were abused or the men that abused them. It was also about the cover-up of all those involved, the men and the institutions that covered it up and refused to believe the women that stepped forward. That is exactly what John Kelly has done.
It’s not unexpected from Trump, who has these accusations of sexual assault against him. We recently found out that he paid off one woman through — well, now they’re saying it’s not through his campaign funds. But this is a man who has consistently shown disrespect for women. He supported a pedophile in Alabama. And he continues to show tremendous disrespect.
John Kelly, in this particular case, allowed this to happen. We have sent a letter to Kelly. My colleagues Ted Lieu and Brenda Lawrence and Jamie Raskin and I sent a letter to John Kelly saying, “What did you know when? And why did you keep Rob Porter? Why did you encourage him to stay? And why have you allowed this kind of disrespect to women to continue?” I think John Kelly needs to go.
AMY GOODMAN: And the president? Do you think he should be impeached?
REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL: I think — Well, you know, I signed the impeachment articles that Steve Cohen, my colleague Steve Cohen from Tennessee, drafted. I have voted twice on the floor to begin the discussion on impeachment, because I really believe that this president continues to be in violation of the Constitution. He now has new properties, by the way, that he’s trying to hide through LLCs, even as he said, oh, he’s not going to be involved in business anymore. This president is making enormous money on the backs of Americans across the country. He’s using the Oval Office for that. He’s bringing tremendous disrespect. He equates white supremacists with those who are fighting white supremacy. I think he needs to go.
AMY GOODMAN: Pramila Jayapal, I want to thank you for being with us, Democratic congressmember from Washington state, vice ranking member of the House Budget Committee and vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, speaking to us from Congress.
This is Democracy Now! When we come back, it’s 20 years since V-Day began. Stay with us.
Truthout Is Preparing to Meet Trump’s Agenda With Resistance at Every Turn
Dear Truthout Community,
If you feel rage, despondency, confusion and deep fear today, you are not alone. We’re feeling it too. We are heartsick. Facing down Trump’s fascist agenda, we are desperately worried about the most vulnerable people among us, including our loved ones and everyone in the Truthout community, and our minds are racing a million miles a minute to try to map out all that needs to be done.
We must give ourselves space to grieve and feel our fear, feel our rage, and keep in the forefront of our mind the stark truth that millions of real human lives are on the line. And simultaneously, we’ve got to get to work, take stock of our resources, and prepare to throw ourselves full force into the movement.
Journalism is a linchpin of that movement. Even as we are reeling, we’re summoning up all the energy we can to face down what’s coming, because we know that one of the sharpest weapons against fascism is publishing the truth.
There are many terrifying planks to the Trump agenda, and we plan to devote ourselves to reporting thoroughly on each one and, crucially, covering the movements resisting them. We also recognize that Trump is a dire threat to journalism itself, and that we must take this seriously from the outset.
After the election, the four of us sat down to have some hard but necessary conversations about Truthout under a Trump presidency. How would we defend our publication from an avalanche of far right lawsuits that seek to bankrupt us? How would we keep our reporters safe if they need to cover outbreaks of political violence, or if they are targeted by authorities? How will we urgently produce the practical analysis, tools and movement coverage that you need right now — breaking through our normal routines to meet a terrifying moment in ways that best serve you?
It will be a tough, scary four years to produce social justice-driven journalism. We need to deliver news, strategy, liberatory ideas, tools and movement-sparking solutions with a force that we never have had to before. And at the same time, we desperately need to protect our ability to do so.
We know this is such a painful moment and donations may understandably be the last thing on your mind. But we must ask for your support, which is needed in a new and urgent way.
We promise we will kick into an even higher gear to give you truthful news that cuts against the disinformation and vitriol and hate and violence. We promise to publish analyses that will serve the needs of the movements we all rely on to survive the next four years, and even build for the future. We promise to be responsive, to recognize you as members of our community with a vital stake and voice in this work.
Please dig deep if you can, but a donation of any amount will be a truly meaningful and tangible action in this cataclysmic historical moment.
We’re with you. Let’s do all we can to move forward together.
With love, rage, and solidarity,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy