Trump Goes Scorched-Earth on Virginia Governor's Pathetic Excuse for Racist Photos: 'Unforgivable'
It’s often said that in Watergate, the coverup was worse than the original crime. Similarly, in the case of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, the apology may be worse than the original incident — and, weighing in on the controversy, President Donald Trump said that’s “unforgivable.”
For those of you who may have been in a coma these past few days, let me get you up to speed: Northam delivered remarks during an interview with WTOP radio on Wednesday in which he seemed to support infanticide under certain cirumstances.
The media only pounced, however, when it was discovered on Friday that Gov. Northam had a photo in his 1984 medical school yearbook entry that showed a man in blackface and another in KKK garb.
Northam originally took responsibility for the photo: “I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now,” he said Friday night, according to National Review.
“This behavior is not in keeping with who I am today and the values I have fought for throughout my career in the military, in medicine, and in public service. But I want to be clear, I understand how this decision shakes Virginians’ faith in that commitment.”
And then, one day later, he denied that in a news conference that must be seen to be believed — and even then it might be difficult to fully comprehend. (It’s on YouTube here.)
Here are roughly the points Northam had to make about the yearbook and his, um, interesting history with blackface — in his own words, via the Daily Wire:
- “When my staff showed me the photo in question yesterday, I was seeing it for the first time. I did not purchase the (medical school) yearbook and I was unaware of what was on my page.”
- “When I was confronted with the images yesterday, I was appalled that they appeared on my page but I believed then and now that am not either of the people in that photo.”
- “My belief that I did not wear that costume or attend that party stems in part from my clear memory of other mistakes I made in the same period of my life. That same year, I did participate in a dance contest in San Antonio in which I darkened my face as part of a Michael Jackson costume.” (Emphasis mine.)
. @GovernorVA says he was not surprised the photo was in his yearbook, because such “abhorrent” actions “commonplace.”
“My belief that I did not wear that costume or attend that party stems in part from my clear memory of other mistakes I made in the same period of my life.” pic.twitter.com/FEWEu5JVvV
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) February 2, 2019
One can merely put those points out there and call for summary judgment.
Of course, leaving things out there for summary judgment isn’t quite how Donald Trump rolls.
In a Twitter post Saturday, Trump went scorched-earth on the governor.
“Democrat Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia just stated, ‘I believe that I am not either of the people in that photo,'” Trump wrote.
“This was 24 hours after apologizing for appearing in the picture and after making the most horrible statement on ‘super’ late term abortion. Unforgivable!”
Democrat Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia just stated, “I believe that I am not either of the people in that photo.” This was 24 hours after apologizing for appearing in the picture and after making the most horrible statement on “super” late term abortion. Unforgivable!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 3, 2019
Unforgivable? That might be up to the people of Virginia, although they don’t have a lot of options. Governors aren’t allowed to serve consecutive terms in the commonwealth and Northam has no place to go afterwards, at least politically, since both of the state’s senators are Democrats.
However, the president brought it back to the fact that this is a guy who is in this situation at least partly because he doesn’t value human life. When talking about third-trimester abortions at the point of birth with a “nonviable” baby, here’s what he described on Wednesday:
“So in this particular example, if the mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable, the infant would be resuscitated if this is what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physician and the mother.”
He said he wasn’t talking about aborting the child, according to his people.
But just like his pathetic excuses about blackface and yearbook pictures, that doesn’t hold water. The conclusion a rational person would draw is that the child would not survive the “discussion” Northam described.
Unforgivable?
We’ll see what the people of Virginia think eventually, but so far, that’s not a bad description at all.
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