Porter Claiming He ‘Never Misrepresented Anything’
Former White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter, one of the two White House officials who left the Trump administration this week amid credible allegations of domestic violence, is reportedly telling associates he was encouraged not to resign.
“White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter is telling associates that some senior White House officials strongly encouraged him to ‘stay and fight,’ and claims he ‘never misrepresented anything’ to Chief of Staff John Kelly,†Axios reported Sunday.
The continued:
This White House has a culture problem, starting at the top. The natural instinct is to defend/deny and show scant, if any, concern for the women alleging misconduct and harm. And when the going gets tough internally, the other natural instinct is to blame everyone but yourself.Â
Porter has said nothing publicly since his departure from the White House on Thursday, following accounts of domestic violence from his two ex-wives.
But a coordinated defense is forming for Kelly on how he handled the matter, and Porter is telling a different story.
The backdrop:Â The White House has not provided a definitive timeline of Porter’s departure, and leaks and statements have conflicted.
On Saturday, Donald Trump opted to seemingly defend Porter and the second official who resigned, citing his concern for due process and the lack of recovery for those “falsely accused.†He noted that “lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation.â€
As CNN’s Jake Tapper noted:
The handling of the Porter scandal reportedly prompted John Kelly to make clear to Trump that he would be willing to resign, though the White House spent much of Sunday morning on various outlets denying those reports.
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