President Trump defended two former White House staffers who have been accused of domestic abuse by their ex-wives, tweeting on Saturday morning that ‘people’s lives are being destroyed’ by ‘a mere allegation’.
‘Peoples lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation. Some are true and some are false. Some are old and some are new.
‘There is no recovery for someone falsely accused – life and career are gone. Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?’ he wrote.
The president’s tweet was in reference to Rob Porter, the former White House Staff Secretary, who resigned this week after his two ex-wives came forward with claims of abuse and photographs of injuries.
The tweet may also have referred to David Sorensen, a speechwriter for the Council on Environmental Quality who resigned on Friday night after his ex-wife, Jessica Corbett, told The Washington Post how he had allegedly abused her.
The Post claimed she approached them before DailyMail.com published the first allegations against Porter this week.
Sorensen vehemently denied her accusations and described them as ‘false and creative’ to DailyMail.com, saying she was driven by jealousy for his job in DC and was ‘anti-Trump’.
Trump has not referred to him by name since the allegations emerged. On Friday, the president said he was ‘sad’ to learn of the allegations against Porter, 40.
President Trump wrote this tweet on Saturday morning which defended White House staffers who have been accused of domestic abuse by their ex-wives this week
‘I found out about it recently and I was surprised by it.
‘But we certainly wish him well. It’s obviously 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, and hopefully he will have a great career ahead of him,’ Trump said in the Oval Office as Hope Hicks, Porter’s rumored girlfriend and the president’s Director of Communications, watched on.
‘It was very sad when we heard about it,’ Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, ‘and certainly he’s also very sad.
‘Now, he also, as you probably know, he says he’s innocent. And I think you have to remember that. He said very strongly yesterday that he’s innocent.
‘So you’ll have to talk to him about that.
‘But we absolutely wish him well. He did a very good job when he was at the White House.’
His Saturday morning tweet came after reports emerged that he was ‘unhappy’ with how the Porter scandal had been treated.
According to sources cited by CNN, he was most disappointed in Hicks’ involvement in drafting a statement defending Porter.
Porter’s two ex-wives, Jennifer Willoughby and Colbie Holderness, both described how he allegedly abused them in separate interviews with DailyMail.com.
Speechwriter David Sorensen was accused of pushing and hitting his ex-wife Jessica Corbett (left) on Thursday. He denies her claims and says she domestically abused him.
White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter (pictured above with rumored girlfriend Hope Hicks, Trump’s Communications Director) also resigned this week over claims he abused his two ex-wives
Colbie Holderness, Porter’s first wife, shared this photograph with DailyMail.com to prove how she said Porter had beaten her
Holderness accused him of punching and choking her and Willoughby described how he had once dragged her naked out of the shower to berate her.
The White House was aware of the allegations, they said, before they became public.
Jennifer Willoughby, his second wife, also alleged verbal abuse
Questions now surround Trump’s Chief of Staff, Gen. John Kelly, over why he allowed Porter to remain in his position if he was aware of the allegations for as long as it claimed.
Porter denied both of the women’s accusations.
‘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.
‘I have been transparent and truthful about these vile claims, but I will not further engage publicly with a coordinated smear campaign.
‘My commitment to public service speaks for itself. I have always put duty to country first and treated others with respect.
‘I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have served in the Trump Administration and will seek to ensure a smooth transition when I leave the White House,’ he said.
The White House stood behind him at first, saying that they would allow him to continue working there for a ‘transition’ period and giving no weight to the claims.
On Thursday, they abandoned their indifference and confirmed that he had left his position for good.
On Friday, the president said Porter had done an ‘excellent job’ as his Staff Secretary. Porter is pictured giving him the document to swear in Secretary of Defense James Mattis in January
Hicks watched on glumly with Kellyanne Conway on Friday as the president made his remarks on the scandal