On Tuesday, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley surprised the political world by announcing that she is quitting. Is her resignation a mere coincidence or a perfectly timed response to the Kavanaugh confirmation?
Politics
Prior to accepting her position, Nikki Haley was never really a Donald Trump fan. In fact, she is said to have lost favor within the Trump administration of late. Rumors rumbled recently that she was unhappy with how Trump and his team treated Dr. Christine Blasey Ford for coming forward with sexual assault charges against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. However, Haley clarified her thoughts and removed all doubt during a Sunday interview with CNN’s “State of the Union” anchor Jake Tapper, clearly proving that she was not at all pleased with anyone blaming or second-guessing a sexual harassment accuser.
“The message I’m comfortable with is that accusers go through a lot of trauma and some handle it one way and some handle it the other way,” Nikki Haley said on Sunday. “Regardless, you never — it’s not something that we want to do, to blame the accuser or to try and second guess the accuser. We don’t know the situation she was going through 35 years ago. We don’t know the circumstances.”
Haley went on to add that “every accuser always deserves the right to be heard, but at the same time, the accused deserves the right to be heard.”
Her comments came after Donald Trump mocked Dr. Ford for daring to come forward, and before Trump apologized “on behalf of our nation” to now-Justice Kavanaugh for having to endure the public humiliation of being accused.
During his announcement of the Nikki Haley resignation, Donald Trump tried to put a positive spin on what was clearly not very positive.
“She told me probably six months ago, ‘You know maybe at end of the year — at the end of the two year period — but by the end of the year I want to take a little time off, I want to take a break,'” Trump said as a cover for the surprise resignation.
However, White House aides later acknowledged that her departure caught them all off guard — particularly Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House national security adviser John Bolton who were not notified until Tuesday.
With less than 4 weeks to go before the all-important midterm elections, the abrupt resignation of Nikki Haley immediately after a bruising political battle involving gender and sexual harassment is already creating horrible optics for Trump and the Republican Party. Political operatives are beginning to predict that her resignation combined with the contentious Kavanaugh Senate hearings will spell big trouble for the GOP and their slim majority over the House and Senate come November 6th.
Honestly, I was surprised when Haley agreed to be a part of Trump’s cabinet because she was among the very few Repubs NOT willing to kiss-up to Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. In fact she was so independent-minded that prior to 2016 she had demonstrated an Unwillingness to tow her party’s line when it came to other critical matters (SEE her orders as Governor of S.C. to remove the Confederate flag from the S.C. Statehouse following the Charleston Church Massacre, in June 2015). I’m no cheer-leader for Nikki Haley. But I do believe she’s a Repub with a heart. I believe the sentiment she expressed regarding Dr. Ford, was genuine which naturally put her at odds with Trump and his supporters. Given all that -I view her decision to resign her Ambassador’s position NOW as a calculated move. As DJ noted, “White House aides later acknowledged that her departure… Read more »