“Has this guy committed a crime…it’s so easy to line up people.”
During an interview on WUTQ Wednesday, Representative Claudia Tenney was asked about the scandal involving Rob Porter, the former White House staff secretary who resigned after reports surfaced detailing his alleged history of domestic abuse against two former wives, one of whom released a picture of herself with a black eye after Porter allegedly punched her in the face.
Despite the visual evidence and corroborating stories from two of Porter’s former spouses, Tenney seemed in several instances to cast doubt on Porter’s victims. Consider the following excerpts from the interview:
- “We’re going to get into the minutia of a timeline, whether they did this or they looked at it? I…did this guy…let me…I haven’t seen this yet…has this guy committed a crime? Has anyone prosecuted him for this alleged abuse against the past wives?”
- “There might be an element of truth to them, but why wasn’t this guy prosecuted before if these things were happening?”
- “Maybe it’s because they say two different wives accused him, but it’s so easy to line up people.”
“Representative Tenney’s statements are shameful and frankly disgusting,” said DCCC Communications Director Meredith Kelly. “Survivors of domestic abuse have a hard enough time coming forward without Members of Congress casting doubt on their stories. Tenney’s disturbing smear of two women confronting their abuser shows why she needs to be replaced.”
This isn’t the first time Tenney has spoken out against alleged victims. In December, Tenney declared that Representative Blake Farenthold should not resign and that he “is not an example of sexual harassment.” This is the same Blake Farenthold who told a staffer she “could show her nipples whenever she wanted to,” and subsequently used $84,000 in tax dollars to settle a sexual harassment complaint.
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