Trump mentions Porter denial, but not ex-wives, in first remarks on abuse allegations

President Donald Trump’s first public remarks, on Friday, about allegations of domestic violence against Rob Porter emphasized that the former White House aide says “he is innocent” but made no mention of Porter’s ex-wives or their accounts of abuse.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that “it was very sad” when the White House heard of the alleged spousal abuse. His first public reaction since Porter resigned on Wednesday, notably lacked any denunciation of domestic violence, as other officials offered, or any comment on the alleged misconduct.


“He also, as you probably know, says he is innocent, and I think you have to remember that,” Trump noted. “He said very strongly yesterday that he is innocent.”

The president also praised Porter, who he said “worked very hard” while serving in the West Wing as staff secretary, and wished him well on his future ventures.

“We certainly wish him well,” he said. “It’s obviously a tough time for him. He did a very good job when he was in the White House.”

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The White House’s handling of the allegations has prompted a firestorm of criticism from officials on both sides of the aisle. Chief of staff John Kelly, who initially put out a statement defending Porter’s character in response to the domestic violence accounts, has faced calls from lawmakers to explain his reaction.

In an email to staff on Thursday, Kelly told White House personnel the administration took domestic violence “very seriously” and that it had “no place in our society.” Kelly appeared to toughen his stance on Porter after facing criticism over his response to the accounts of abuse, initially calling Porter “a man of true integrity and honor” and later expressing shock at the revelation.

While the White House said Kelly and other officials were not “fully aware” of the domestic violence allegations until they were detailed in a Daily Mail report, published Tuesday, that included photos of one of Porter’s ex-wives with a black eye, senior administration officials say the chief of staff knew weeks ago that Porter was operating on only an interim security clearance, with a background check on his behavior ongoing until his resignation this week.

Raj Shah, the principal deputy press secretary, on Thursday described Trump as “surprised” and “saddened” to learn of the revelations, adding that the president had not learned of issues surrounding Porter’s security clearance until Tuesday, when news of the spousal abuse allegations broke.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, who was among those to criticize the White House’s response to the Porter revelations earlier this week, hammered Trump for praising the former top aide on Friday.

“Is there any other crime — and it’s a crime — where there’d be an explanation, that the reason why we shouldn’t pay attention to the transgression is because they’re good at something?” Biden said during an event in Indianapolis. Biden went on to liken Trump’s wishing Porter well to complimenting an “axe murderer” on their painting skills.

Trump’s comments stood in contrast to some of his own past public statements on domestic violence. In 2012, he responded to reports that singers Chris Brown and Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty had rekindled their relationship, suggesting she had a “death wish” after she’d previously accused Brown of domestic violence.

“A beater is always a beater — just watch!” Trump tweeted at the time.

The White House communications director, Hope Hicks, who officials say was engaged in a romantic relationship with Porter, has faced backlash for not publicly recusing herself from crafting the administration’s response to the Porter allegations. Shah said at Thursday’s press briefing that Hicks did “recuse herself from some matters” on Porter.

The spokesman said Porter received “no waivers and no special treatment” from the White House.

Porter forcefully disputed the allegations in announcing his resignation.

“These outrageous allegations are simply false,” he said in a statement on Wednesday. “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.”

