There are never any precise apples to apples comparisons, but you can think about the media treatment of John Edwards for having a consensual affair and Donald Trump for, well, everything.
"They" can and do declare people irrelevant when they want to.
And, no, this wasn't about some sort of chivalrous concern for the victim in that situation - Elizabeth Edwards. The press fucking hated her and if anything they were gleefully rubbing salt into the wound.
(This is not a defense of Edwards the man, think of him what you want)
