A White House speechwriter resigned on Friday amid domestic abuse allegations brought on by his ex-wife, which he denies.
David Sorensen, a speechwriter who worked under senior policy adviser Stephen Miller, departed his position after the White House learned of the allegations against him, Principal Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah said in a statement reported by the Associated Press, CNN, and The Washington Post.
His exit comes just days after White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter resigned after domestic abuse allegations surfaced from his two ex-wives.
Shah explained they learned about the allegations by Sorensen’s ex on Thursday. “We immediately confronted the staffer, he denied the allegations and he resigned today,” said Shah.
The Washington Post was first to report Sorensen’s resignation, which came as they had been working on a story regarding the allegations.
According to the paper, Sorensen’s ex-wife Jessica Corbett alleged that “he ran a car over her foot, put out a cigarette on her hand, threw her into a wall and grasped her menacingly by her hair while they were alone on their boat in remote waters off Maine’s coast, an incident she said left her fearing for her life.”
Sorensen told The Post he stepped down because he “didn’t want the White House to have to deal with this distraction” and that the White House “should be able to focus on continuing President Trump’s historic accomplishments for the American People.”
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Meanwhile, President Trump — who himself has been accused of sexual misconduct, which he also denies — stood by Porter after his exit.
“We wish him well. He worked very hard,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, according to a pool report. “As you probably know, he says he is innocent. And I think you have to remember that. He said very strongly yesterday that he’s innocent… We absolutely wish him well.”
Porter’s ex-wives, Jennifer Willoughby and Colbie Holderness, alleged to The Daily Mail on Wednesday that he was physically and verbally abusive to them during their respective marriages.
On Friday, Willoughby, Porter’s second ex-wife, appeared on the Today show where she said she took out a temporary protective order against her then-husband after he pulled her wet and naked out of the shower “to continue the rage” during an argument.
She also alleged that Porter punched in the door of a home she was staying in during their separation.
In a statement read by White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders at a press conference on Wednesday, Porter denied Willoughby and Holderness’ allegations — including photos The Daily Mail published showing Holderness with a bruised right eye, which she claims was the result of Porter punching her in the face during a trip to Italy in the mid-2000s.
“These outrageous allegations are simply false,” Porter wrote. “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.”
Porter also alleged that Willoughby and Holderness were conspiring against him.