Former White House staff secretary Rob Porter reportedly knew in September that his security clearance was being delayed due to concerns about his "violent" past.

One of Porter’s two ex-wives who accused him of domestic abuse told CNN that Porter told her in September that his background check was “delayed” due to such concerns.

Jennie Willoughby told CNN that Porter contacted her twice in September to ask if she or his other ex-wife, Colbie Holderness, had told the FBI that he was “violent” during their interviews for his background check.

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"When I asked him how he knew that, he told me that people who were involved in the background check let him know it was being delayed, and that one of the concerns was that he was 'violent,'" she said. "So, he was asking me if I had used that word with the FBI and if Colbie had used that word."

Porter resigned from the White House last week following reports that both Willoughby and Holderness had accused him of emotional and physical abuse, with Holderness providing a photo of a black eye she said Porter gave her. Porter has denied the accusations.

The revelation that Porter might have been aware of the concerns as early as September adds another dimension to concerns about what top White House staff knew and when.

Chief of staff John Kelly John Francis KellyMORE has been under fire for his handling of the allegations. Kelly reportedly knew about the accusations early last year and kept Porter in his position at the White House, even supporting efforts to promote Porter. Kelly initially defended Porter against the reports about the abuse.

Porter had been working with an interim security clearance for the duration of his time at the White House. FBI Director Christopher Wray testified earlier this week that the agency had completed its background check of Porter in July.

The White House has disputed this account, maintaining that checks of Porter’s background were ongoing at the time of his resignation, and that it did not know the severity of the allegations until the more recent media reports.

The House Oversight Committee has launched an investigation into the situation and lingering questions.