Rob Porter gets snagged by FBI for domestic abuse
So big news flash from within the White House's top policymakers. The FBI has just found out after a background check on Rob Porter that he's got a bit of a violent streak, with a history of domestic abuse.
The top aide, and major political figure, who is the gatekeeper to the information that crosses President Donald Trump's desk, has successfully kept the information that he allegedly used physical violence against both of his former wives.
The information on Porter's domestic abuse was revealed as part of a background check in regards to his role in the White House, to see if he was acceptable to receive high-level clearance. It was during that investigation that while being interviewed by the FBI both of the women shared that Porter was abusive during their marriages.
Colbie Holderness, Porter's first wife, provided her correspondence with the FBI to The Intercept and she relayed that "the pattern of violence... began on their honeymoon in the Canary islands in 2003." Holderness said,
"He only punched me once, in the eye,” during a vacation in Florence in 2005. "He threw me down on the bed and punched me in the face. I think he was shocked that he had lost control to that extent."
Holderness also shared he would "get angry and throw me," and then "graduated to choking me," in which it was "frightening and dehumanizing."
Meanwhile, "Porter’s second wife, Jennifer Willoughby, wrote about her abusive relationship in a blog post on April 24, 2017, but did not name Porter." In the blog post Why I Stayed by Willoughby, she writes of the first few months, after their honeymoon, "A month later he physically prevented me from leaving the house. Less than two months after that, I filed a protective order with the police because he punched in the glass on our front door while I was locked inside."
From there the abuse became, "insidious. The threats were personal. The terror was real," according to Willoughby.
Rob Porter is definitely not a NICE guy, and justifiably he got caught and resigned Wednesday, with an undetermined effective date, amid the allegations. Porter is another indicator that in the current social-political landscape violent high-powered men have gained key positions while keeping their abuse of women and others hushed because of improper screening by their employers who either share the same views or are negligent to screen for abusive behavior earlier in the process.
The former White House Staff secretary, worked with President Donald Trump’s chief of staff John Kelly, to review all documents that cross the Resolute desk according to Politico.
The Trump administration, with the addition of Porter's alleged actions now known, has misogyny written all over it. Along with other various key figures, just in the GOP alone, it goes to show abusive men have flocked to the President. Afterall, Porter is the one handing Trump his briefings, and it begs the question does Trump care what values his employees have at all? Just focusing on Rob Porter, it seems to be no.