Second White House aide resigns over abuse claims
WASHINGTON, DC: A second White House staffer in a week resigned on Friday over domestic abuse claims, in a widening scandal that called into question the president’s judgment, and tainted his chief of staff John Kelly and long-time aide Hope Hicks.
Hours after Trump’s comments about staff secretary Rob Porter, a White House speechwriter, David Sorensen, resigned after his wife said he was abusive, a claim he denies.
Porter, who also denies abuse alleged by two ex-wives, one of whom released a photo of herself with a black eye, worked at the heart of the White House throughout the first year of Trump’s administration, despite being denied a full security clearance.
He stepped down from his post on Wednesday after the accusations became public.
Trump, who has himself been accused of sexual harassment or assault by two dozen women, fuelled the scandal by praising Porter and suggesting he had a bright future.
He made no mention of the exwives or the alleged domestic abuse.
“We wish him well, and it’s a tough time for him,” Trump said in the Oval Office.
“He did a very good job when he was in the White House. We hope he has a wonderful career and he will have a great career ahead of him. As you probably know, he says he’s innocent, and I think you have to remember that.”
That prompted a sharp rebuke from Democrats like Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, who slammed the White House’s “culture of misogyny”.
Chief of Staff John Kelly was aware of the allegations and also praised Porter’s conduct in the White House, maintaining that “every individual deserves the right to defend their reputation”.
Hicks, perhaps Trump’s most trusted aide, had helped craft the response to the scandal as White House communications director, despite being romantically involved with Porter.
Deputy White House spokesman Raj Shah said the White House learned about the allegations against Sorensen on Thursday.
“We confronted the staffer. He denied the allegations and he resigned today,” Shah said on Friday.
Sorensen’s ex-wife Jessica Corbett told The Washington Post that while they were married, he ran a car over her foot, extinguished a cigarette on her hand, threw her into a wall and grabbed her by her hair, but she did not report the incidents due to her then-husband’s connections to law enforcement.