'Bullies, posers and bad boys': Trump's 'best people' smacked down in scathing editorial

Writing for CNN, Michael D'Antonio -- author of the book "Never Enough: Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success" -- claims there should be no surprise at revelations that two White House staffers have been dismissed over credible allegations of sexual abuse in their pasts, saying those type of people appeal to President Donald Trump.

"It's time to ask a simple question: How many appalling characters must be wrung out of the West Wing before we recognize that the problem is the man at the top, who sets the tone for the workplace culture?" D'Antonio began before adding the President's comments on Porter manifest the long held belief that "Decades of this practice trained many people to accept 'Trump being Trump,' which meant they discounted his racist, sexist comments and tweets. More importantly, the more Trump got away with his outrageous behavior, the more he came to regard this trait as something positive -- and he brought into his inner circle men with the same bully-boy ways."

"In staffing his campaign for president and later his administration, Trump either attracted or sought out men with attitudes similar to his own. In this crowd it was okay to be overly aggressive, or burdened with a sketchy background, just as long as you were truly useful to the President and didn't upstage him," he continued before ticking off Trump acolytes known of their bulling ways including, Steve Bannon, Corey Lewandowski, Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn and Sebastian Gorka.

And now Robert Porter has been exposed by a former wife who shared pictures of her bruised face and who was defended by White House Chief of Staff John Kelly.

"As sensible people responded with alarm to the news that the White House employed Porter even after red flags were raised about his past, Kelly defended him as "a man of true integrity and honor." Kelly's statement, and reports that he encouraged Porter to stay on the job, reveal the inclinations of a man ruled by attitude, not sober reflection. These actions also threatened Kelly's own reputation," D'Antonio wrote.

"Whether Kelly stays or goes, he is now yet another example of the toxic workplace culture created by Donald Trump, who clearly brought into his administration the kinds of men who make him feel at easethe whole commentary here.