Speaker Ryan: White House Should Condemn Domestic Violence

The U.S. House of Representatives' top Republican on Wednesday said the White House should condemn domestic violence and improve its vetting process for employees, as a congressional committee began investigating how President Donald Trump's administration handled abuse accusations against a former aide.

"They clearly have work to do to fix their vetting system," Speaker Paul Ryan said at a briefing. "If a person committing domestic violence gets into government, then there's a breakdown in the system. There's a breakdown in the vetting system and that breakdown needs to be addressed."

The House Oversight Committee has asked the White House for details on the procedures it follows in granting security clearances, which give employees access to sensitive information. Former aide Rob Porter worked at the White House for months with a temporary security clearance but recently resigned after news media reports he had abused two ex-wives, which security experts have said would make him vulnerable to blackmail.