Things didn't go so well for GOP strategist Alex Castellanos when he tried to make the men out to be victims during a discussion about accused wife-beater Rob Porter on ABC's This Week.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Alex Castellanos, in this way the president is actually pretty transparent. What we saw in that Oval Office pool spray, what we say in the tweets yesterday morning is exactly what he thinks.
ALEX CASTELLANOS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: It's what he is. You know, this president, in many ways, is the predator, the T Rex that his voters sent to Washington to protect them from the other smaller slimier predators in Washington. He's instinctive. He's visceral. There's a reason he has problems with women. I think this president would sayI never grabbed a woman I didn't respect. That's a real problem.
But a lot of Trump voters I think also look at this and say, wait a minute, we're going to stone this guy? Even the mullahs in Iran give you a hearing before they stone you. Yes, let's believe the women, but trust, but verify. The mob has gathered. Charges have been made, is that enough?
MEGAN MURPHY, FORMER EDITOR BLOOMBERG BUSINESS WEEK: Look, I want to take what Matthew said and double down on it. Women die because of silence in this situation. Women die because they're not believed. Women die in these situations. It is of the utmost seriousness.
And I want to say to any women who have heard these stories, and we should make this very clear, if you have this, if this is happening to you in your relation, let's take this out of politics for a second. If this is happening to you, please come forward, as Chris Christie said. Do exactly as these women did, contact your local law enforcement, tell your family members. Please come forward and say it.
And also to our first responders, so many of our police force who are on the front lines dealing with this true epidemic in society, thank you so much for responding to it.
It is not about the mullahs in Iran, it is about women and believing them.
CASTELLANOS: Rob Porter may be a creep who pummels with his fists...
MURPHY: He's more than that.
CASTELLANOS: Rob Porter may be a reformed creep who has learned something and become better for it. He may be an innocent man. We don't know.
Yes, let's believe, but let's also listen..
DAVID AXELROD, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: Listen, they have had the information, Alex, for 13 months. So, it's not as if he -- by the way being removed as staff secretary is not stoning, OK. But they've had the information...
CASTELLANOS: It's destruction of a life.
AXELROD: Well, so is domestic abuse.
CASTELLANOS: And we're all against that.
AXELROD: They had this information for 13 months, and that is what is astonishing. The fact is General Kelly was brought in to make the trains run on time. And he was either asleep at the switch or he willfully ignored the evidence that he was shown. And that's inexcusable. That is inexcusable.
Yeah, haven't they suffered enough already from just being accused of their behavior? Murphy and Axelrod are exactly right, this is about the women and their lives which are put at risk from abusers like Porter. There's no question about whether these women were credible. The question is why the administration decided to look the other way once they found out about them.
