Trump aide quits as ex- wives claim abuse
Washington, Feb. 8: Rob Porter, White House staff secretary and a close aide of US President Donald Trump, resigned on Thursday after his two exwives accused him of physical and emotional abuse.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters Mr Porter has resigned, a day after the Daily Mail newspaper published allegations of his two ex- wives, Colbie Holderness and Jennifer Willoughby, accusing him of domestic violence. Mr Porter, 40, has, however, denied the allegations.
A pair of photos showed Holderness with a badly bruised eye, which she claimed was the result of being punched by Porter.
“These outrageous allegations are simply false. I took the photos given to the media nearly 15 years ago and the reality behind them is nowhere close to what is being described,” Mr Porter said.
“I have been transparent and truthful about these vile claims, but I will not further engage publicly with a coordinated smear campaign,” he said in a statement.
As staff secretary, Mr Porter’s responsibility was mainly in the flow of paper that crossed Mr Trump’s desk, including the wave of executive orders and actions that Mr Trump inked during the first months of his tenure.
A lawyer, Mr Porter also participated in the process of legally vetting the myriad documents that require the President’s signature, CNN reported.