Donald Trump's campaign hired a racist staffer, fired him, then lied about the whole thing
Donald Trump's presidential campaign appears to have ended relations with their Arizona-based director, Aaron Borders, following an inquiry from BuzzFeed News about Borders' Islamophobic and racist Facebook posts. Trump's campaign then told BuzzFeed in a statement that Borders had never been connected to the campaign at all.
In tapes provided to BuzzFeed by Borders, Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, is recorded hiring Borders. Later tapes, recorded after BuzzFeed's inquiry into Borders' posts, reveal Lewandowski firing Borders and threatening to "sue your f--king ass to next year."
"It's just not something we do," Lewandowski said to Borders in the recordings, referring to him as "staff." "We don't have staff stories and we don't have staff in stories about things... We'll just tell BuzzFeed that there's no formal relationship, that you're an overzealous volunteer, and that you're not part of the campaign in any way shape or form, regardless of what the story says.""I just can't have this, it's a problem. It's just no good. It's negative publicity on staff. I just can't have it," he concluded.This exchange matched the wording of an email from Trump's campaign spokesperson, Hope Hicks, who promptly replied to a request for comment by writing that "we do not have a state director in AZ. I've never heard of Aaron, but he appears to be an over-zealous volunteer. Let me know if you need anything else." [BuzzFeed]
Last week, Trump's campaign fired longtime aide Sam Nunberg after Business Insider turned up racist posts on his personal Facebook page.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Did Alex Pretti’s killing open a GOP rift on guns?Talking Points Second Amendment groups push back on the White House narrative
-
The 8 best hospital dramas of all timethe week recommends From wartime period pieces to of-the-moment procedurals, audiences never tire of watching doctors and nurses do their lifesaving thing
-
‘Implementing strengthened provisions help advance aviation safety’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
