President Donald Trump was blindsided by the allegations of domestic abuse against his staff secretary – and called Rob Porter a "sick puppy," CBS News reported.
Citing unnamed sources, CBS News reported Trump would likely not have had any knowledge of the details of Porter's personal history, which includes accusations by two ex-wives he physically and emotionally abused them.
Both of Porter's ex-wives have accused him of domestic abuse, with one revealing photographs of herself with a black eye, which she claims she got from Porter.
Porter, who resigned from the White House last week, has denied the allegations.
But questions have since come up about the timing of when chief of staff John Kelly and White House counsel Don McGahn learned of the allegations, which were brought to the attention of the FBI.
The matter has put the White House on the defensive.
At a White House news briefing Monday, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders read a statement from Trump, voicing his support for abuse victims — after he faced a backlash for not seeming sympathetic to domestic abuse victims.
"Above all, the president supports the victims of domestic violence and believes everyone should be treated fairly and with due process," she said, The Hill reported.
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