Trump praises ex-aide accused of abuse
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Friday that a former aide accused of domestic abuse by two ex-wives had done a “very good job” at the White House, adding, “We certainly wish him well.”
Trump emphasized that former staff secretary Rob Porter maintains his innocence, and the president made no mention of the women who have reported physical and emotional abuse.
It was Trump’s first comment on the allegations against Porter, who had been one of his most trusted staffers until this week. Porter resigned after his ex-wives’ allegations became public.
Trump offered sympathy for Porter, saying, “It’s a ... tough time for him. He did a very good job when he was in the White House. And we hope he has a wonderful career.”
Trump said he was sad to learn of the allegations but added: “As you probably know, he says he’s innocent. And I think you have to remember that.”
The comments came a day after White House chief of staff John Kelly tried to assure staff that the Trump administration takes domestic violence “very seriously” amid mounting questions about how Porter managed to maintain a position of high influence despite the allegations.
Porter, arguably Kelly’s closest aide, cleaned out his desk Thursday. The fallout from his resignation reverberated amid concerns about his access to classified information and about how long senior staffers had known about the allegations.
Porter has denied the allegations, calling them “outrageous” and part of “a coordinated smear campaign.”
Although the accusations became public this week, Kelly learned last fall that something was amiss with Porter’s attempts to get a security clearance, according to an administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The chief of staff had sought information about the status of security clearance applications for top aides, and it was then he learned there were allegations against Porter from his ex-wives, the official said. Porter and Kelly later discussed the allegations. The official said White House counsel Don McGahn was apprised of at least some of the accusations at least four times, including in January 2017.
The official stressed that the FBI never revoked Porter’s security clearance, which it could have done.
Staffers felt misled about how Porter downplayed the allegations, both to Kelly and McGahn, the administration official said. Kelly himself faced criticism for initially defending his aide — only to later shift course after the publication of photos showing one of Porter’s ex-wives with a black eye.
“It’s fair to say we all could have done better over the last few hours or last few days in dealing with this situation,” White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah said Thursday.
In a memo to his staff late Thursday, Kelly wrote that “while we are all processing the shocking and troubling allegations made against a former White House staffer, I want you to know that we all take matters of domestic violence very seriously. Domestic violence is abhorrent and has no place in our society.”