Former Independent Counsel Kenneth W. Starr, former President William Clinton’s version of Robert Mueller, pursued his [Clinton] penis from Arkansas to Washington D.C. As a result, we were introduced to Monica Lewinsky. Also bringing to the forefront the Juanita Broaddrick allegations of rape against the past President. Impeachment began in October of 1998, mainly on the strength of Mr. Clinton’s affair with intern Monica Lewinsky fueled by the charges of Starr’s initial inquiry into Clinton’s Whitewater business dealings which bore no fruit.
I went down that little journey into history to create a predicate for the newest allegations of rape against the current President of the United States, Donald John Trump. Columnist and author E. Jean Carroll gave a detailed account of her alleged assault by then businessman Donald Trump at Bergdorf Goodman’s department store some 25 years ago. Far be it for me to be crass and disrespectful and get into a, “but what about…” contest over sexual assault. I was not in the dressing room Ms. Carroll describes in painful detail, nor will I ever know her hurt, but I do understand that much like the victims of racially motivated murders by police and others she will now be prematurely tried in the court of public opinion.
The morning started with stories of her past accusations against men, in pursuit of using that to discount her story. Of course, the conservative news noise machine went into immediate ‘she is just trying to sell a book’ mode. This is the point where the pro-Trumpers say “both sides do it.” This is also the point where I ask, “does it matter?
I had so hoped I had lived past the point of women having to be put on trial for their perceived moral failings; promiscuity, too short dresses, aborting babies or drinking and smoking in public. Yes, these were real issues during my 20s; a woman accusing a man of sexual assault was required to prove she was sober, not sexually active or “did not ask for it.” Mr. Trump immediately said he never met Ms. Carroll and as with Stormy Daniels, a photo of them together was easily found. Appropriately, questions seeking confirmation of E. Jean Carroll’s allegations have started. The baffling part of the story for me is how quickly the media is dismissing this as just another ‘Trumpism.’
Why would anyone believe Donald Trump?
The past allegations of sexual impropriety, toward Mr. Trump, that number as few as 16 and as many as 24 are a testament to his inauthentic nature. As with Bill Clinton, I remain consistent, the President’s personal life is not relevant to his performance, except when it comes to sexual assault; because that is a crime. We know of at least two incidents where the President blatantly lied and in one case a credible case of violating campaign finance laws exist. I am sure a lot of you reading this are wondering why this old news makes a difference now. The difference is that the continued lies of the President have so hurt the credibility of the U.S. that a war with Iran calls into question if our allies will help because the President may be lying to them. The human rights violations committed against children at the border and the President’s denials carry no weight in the opinion of the world because the President may be lying to them.
How long before world consensus becomes do not believe America because it lies to you?
Vote in 2020 for Change.
