MSNBC host Joe Scarborough said that President Trump is just the latest of his political opponents to use the death of his former staff member as a weapon against him.
For the past few weeks, Trump has been calling for an investigation into the death of Lori Klausutis, who worked in Scarborough’s congressional office in Florida nearly two decades ago. While discussing the tweets on Wednesday’s Morning Joe, Scarborough reflected on his previous rivals who used Klausutis’s death when attacking him.
“And I’ve thought about that through these years, that a good woman, a young woman’s desire to do something good for the country that she has loved, has led first to people on the far Left of the internet sullying her name and then a Republican senatorial candidate years later sullying her name. And then, people on the far Left later sullying her name,” he said.
“And now, the president of the United States sullying this good woman’s name. And accusing her 19 years later, when she can’t defend herself, of things that I’m sure would so horrify her. But, again, all because she wanted to contribute to our country, to give back to her country. It is heartbreaking. The cruelty is unspeakable. And, yeah, you know what? It’s not just Donald Trump. Yeah. It’s been happening for 19 years,” he added.
Scarborough described Klausutis as a “lifelong Republican” and a “faithful Catholic.” He noted that he did not know her well but commended her for leaving her job at a bank to work in his office while giving back to the country. He condemned any use of her death and said it does not hurt him as much as it hurts her family.
“Donald Trump is right. It wasn’t his original scummy thought. Other vile people driven by hatred and petty politics thinking that they were going to hurt me. I’m here. I’m going to be here. You keep trying to hurt me. And, instead, your attacks pass through me, and they terrorize a family that has not been able to let their loved one rest in peace,” he said.
Klausutis’s widower has expressed his heartache over Trump’s tweets and asked Twitter to take down the posts. A Twitter spokesman said the company was “deeply sorry” for the tweets but declined to remove them.
