Trump’s reaction to allegations defended

WASHINGTON — Facing another day of fallout, the White House on Monday defended President Donald Trump’s failure to acknowledge publicly the women who’ve accused former staff secretary Rob Porter of domestic violence.

With questions still swirling about who knew what and when, spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders repeatedly told reporters that the “president and the entire administration take domestic violence very seriously and believe all allegations need to be investigated thoroughly.”

“Above all, the president supports victims of domestic violence and believes everyone should be treated fairly and with due process,” she added.

The statement came in response to repeated questions about why the president has not uttered similar words himself. In tweets and in public remarks, Trump has made no mention of the two ex-wives who accuse Porter of physical and emotional abuse, and he has made no attempts to personally reassure the public that he takes such charges seriously.

Porter has denied the allegations.

“Peoples lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation,” Trump said over the weekend on Twitter, asking: “Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?” Trump also wished Porter well and said he hoped he’d have a successful career.

But Sanders said her statement had come directly from the president and argued there was no effective difference between the two.