The “boys’ club” in the White House is reportedly to blame for the mishandling of the Rob Porter scandal, Yahoo News reports.
Porter was a senior staff secretary in the Trump White House who has been accused of physically abusing his two ex-wives. When the news broke, the White House defended Porter and called him a man of “true integrity and honor.” (A statement apparently crafted by White House communications director, and Porter’s current love interest, Hope Hicks.)
And according to female staffers this response can be attributed to the power structure within the White House.
“It’s not a surprise. There’s a real problem with the boys’ club here. There just is,” a female White House staffer told Yahoo News.
Female employees tell Yahoo that they are frustrated by the administration’s treatment of women working in the West Wing.
“The boys’-club mentality here is just ridiculous … It’s everywhere,” one female staffer told Yahoo. “Obviously, there’s Kellyanne, Sarah, and Hope — those are all pretty big positions … but there’s a constant feeling anyway of being just minimized.”
She added: “Like if you have an idea it’s just like, ‘Ha-ha-ha, that’s nice.’”