jenny willoughby's op-ed comes after the president tweete

amanda, you heard what jenny willoughby said. took away from it. >> the takeaway from that sound bite is that someone acting as a representative of the white house asked a woman to change her truth about the abuse that she suffered. and this isn't just about a staff secretary. this is about the culture of abuse that continues to permeate within this white house that we all were well aware of, even during the campaign. aides to donald trump have gone forth and told the press that they viewed it as a litmus test of whether people would be willing to defend donald trump in the aftermath of the "access hollywood" tapes, which let's be clear, on those tapes, he talked favorably about sexual assault. so that is a job requirement in this white house. so no, i'm not surprised when people look the other way when they learn these facts about mr. porter. but the reason why it should concern everyone is not a staff issue, is that we should want the best of america working from the white house. it is a reflection of us, and what it has turned

and that's the part that has jennie willoughby, porter's ex-wife, enable to stay quiet. the president saying that her story is not true. willoughby wrote a piece for "time" magazine today, and i'm going to read some of it for you now sm now. she writes "the words mere allegation and falsely accused meant to imply that i am a liar, that colbie holderness is a liar. that the work was doing in the white house is of higher value than our mental, physical, or emotional well-being. that his professional contributions are worth more than the truth. that abuse is something to be questioned and doubted." she goes on, "everyone wants to talk about how trump implied i a am not to be believed, as if trump is the model of kindness and forgiveness. as if he readily acknowledges his own shortcomings and shows empathy and concern for others. i forgive him. thankfully, my strength and worth are not dependent on outside belief. the truth exists, whether the president accepts it or not." now, willoughby also references the other accusations by women against powerful men, not only in politic

hol >>> back now with jenni willoughby. i wanted to ak you about a couple of things the white house has said or done or not done. chief of staff john kelly said porter is, quote, a man of true integrity and honor. that what he said earlier yesterday. they now say they only became fully aware of the allegations yesterday and then when asked today about what changed between when the first statement was made and the later statement, they said it was, quote, the full nature of the allegations particularly the images. do you think it should have taken the white house seeing images of colbie bruised and battered to come up with a different statement? >> you know, i feel like that's a speculative thing that i can't really answer just because of the -- of my closeness to it and the nature of it, but i do feel as though knowing rob the way that i do, he probably is able to, even -- even if his clearance hadn't gone through and they knew it was because of problems his marriage, i think he was probably able to spin it in a way that it

more from my conversation with jenny willoughby. here's what she told me about what her ex-husband wanted to know about her interview with the fbi. did he know that the fbi had talked to you? was he concerned about that at all? >> yeah, so he -- because we were in contact, he had actually let me know the fbi was going to be contacting me and got the information so that they could. >> standard procedure? >> yeah, yeah. and leading up to the interview, he asked me what i intended to say. and what types of things i would say about him. and i was honest with him about what i planned to say. and after the fbi interview, he wanted to know the same thins. what types of things did they ask, what types of things did i say? rob was aware of what i had shared with the fbi. >> was he concerned about what his first wife had said? >> yes. >> back now with the panel. it's so interesting. to hear pam's reporting that the president is unhappy that raj shaw dared to admit it could have been handled better, and he was talking about it could have been

jenny willoughby is her name. she was married to rob porter from 2009 to 2013. she said she endured physical and emotional abuse. porter's first wife colbie holderness divorced him after years. rob porter denies the allegations calling them outrageous, false. he says the reality behind the pictures is nowhere close to what is being described and says quote, i've been transparent and truthful about these vile claims. with that said, i want to play you what jenny said in just a moment. first i want to two to pam brown standing by at the white house. >> reporter: at the white house morale is low about the handling of the rob porter situation with the white house so fiercely coming to his defense in the wake of these domestic abuse allegations. in fact, you heard today a rare admission from the white house saying that this could have been handled better. there's still a lot of outstanding questions here tonight about what john kelly, the chief of staff knew and when today the white house said that he was not fully aware until yesterday. then when pressed on that, th

jenny willoughby said that he called her and informed her that the security clearance was delayed and one of the reasons was concerns that he had been violent. here is exactly what willoughby told me, quote wherks i asked him how he knew that, he told me that people who were involved in the background check let he him know it was being delayed and that one of the concerns was that he was violent. he asked me if i had used that word with the fbi and if colbie had used the word. this is all raising more questions about who knew what and when about allegations against porter. what willoughby is saying here is it suggests that porter was told about concerns in september about his security clearance check. we have reached out to the white house with a series of questions to figure out who may have talked to porter and we haven't heard back. just to remind everyone, top white house aides have insisted that few people inside the west wing knew about the allegations before the news broke last week but keep in mind fbi director chris wray said that they submitted a report as early as march. >>

his second wife, jennie willoughby, telling "the washington post" she did not hold back. >> i told them all of the details of my marriage, including verbal and emotional abuse. >> reporter: when the story first broke, white house aides praised porter, one of the president's top aides, who is also romantically linked to white house communications director hope hicks. >> the president and chief of staff have had full confidence and trust in his abilities and his performance. >> reporter: white house chief of staff john kelly called porter "a man of true integrity and honor." but last night, with that picture of porter's first wife out in public view, kelly issued a second statement, saying that he was "shocked by the new allegations" and that "there is no place for domestic violence." but kelly adding, "i stand by my previous comments and believe every individual deserves the right to defend their reputation." and now, sources tell abc news, high level white house officials have actually known about the accusations against porter for months. so what did kelly know and when did he know it?

that's the part that has jenny willoughby unable to stay quite. she wrote a piece for time magazine today. she writes, the words mere allegation and falsely accused meant to imply that i am a liar, that colby holderman is a liar. that the work rob was doing in the white house was of higher value than our mental or physical well being. that his contributions are worth more than the truth. that abuse is something to be questioned and doubted. she goes on, everyone wants to talk about how trump implied i'm not to be believed as if trump is the model of kindness and forgiveness. as if he readily acknowledges his own short comings. i forgive him. thankfully my strength and worth are not dependent on outside belief. the truth exists whether the president accepts it or not. she also references others accused not only in politics but in entertainment. amidst the rash of sexual assault revelations born of the me too movement even i found myself questioning the accuser. i almost allowed my societal conditioning to override what my heart knows to be true. ab

the president's statement drawing heated response from jennie willoughby. writing everyone is talking about i'm not to be believed as trump is a model of kindness and forgi forgiveness. i forgive him. thankfully my strength and worth are not dependent on outside worth. the truth exists whether the president believes it or not. >>> and he plans to meet with the fbi to talk about the memo. this memo is the rebuttal over the fbi surveillance abuses. claiming it contains classified passages. democrats call that hypocrisy because the fbi warned against the release of the republicans memo and the president did any way. >>> ahead of the week's florida debate and it comes from the chambers conservative members. this includes a pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million immigrants in exchange for a border wall and even channhance security. also included is tighter immigration enforcement and limited family visas. mitch mcconnell is offering different proposals to compete for the 60 votes needed to advance. >>> one of the conservative voices is raising concern of leaders

jenny willoughby writes in "time" magazine, time.com, in light of the president's and the white house tea's continued dismissal of me and colbie, i want to share that my truth will not be zmidiminished. for any men, women, and children currently in situation of abuse, please know it is real. you are not crazy, you are not alone. i believe you. jenny willoughby's op-ed comes after the president tweeted, people's lives are being shattered by mere allegations. the white house defending trump's comments today. take a listen. >> i've seen that when the president is saying, talking about due process, he's right in this way. we are a country of laws. there is due process. that's absolutely correct. but we as individuals have a duty to assess every -- everybody on a case-by-case basis. and in this case, you have contemporaneous police reports, you have women speaking to the fbi under the threat of perjury, you have police reports, you have photographs. and when you look at all of that pulled together, you realize that rob porter did the right thing by resigning. >> it sounds like you believe

. >>> the president's statement drawing heated response from jennie willoughby. she writes, everyone wants to talk about how i am not to be believed. as trump is a model of kindness and forgiveness. i forgive him. thankfully my strength and worth are not dependent on outside belief. the truth exists whether the president accepts it or not. >>> the ranking democrat on the house intelligence kmcommittee will hear concerns over the democratic memo. this is a rebuttal alleging fbi surveillance abuses. the white house last week barred publication of the democrats memo claiming it has classified information. democrats calling that hypocr y hypocrisy. the fbi warned against releasing the republican memo and the white house did it any way. >>> the version of the immigration plan from the president ahead of the floor debate. it comes from the chamber's conservative members and has the proposals outlined by the president. it has a pathway to citizenship for eligible immigrants in exchange for a border wall and security. a number of new laws make it easier to detain and dep

he tried to pressure one of the women into -- >> jennie willoughby -- >> there are reports coming outthe white house that he was misleading people in the white house about what happened. we don't know what he told the fbi. this was not someone worth defending before or after the information became public, and all of it hurt the president and the presidency today. >> so why -- >> and that is a terrible thing. >> why does the president of the united states defend him today? >> i don't know. i don't know. but for his presidency and for the way women and really all americans are going to view the way he looks into these things, i worry that no one is saying, mr. president, the long-term view of how you're going to be perceived on handling this cultural movement at this time of your presidency is being damaged. >> tara, there's now a second white house staffer, david sorensen resigning over domestic abuse allegations. that that is a sign that the white house might be looking to establish backgrounds more -- >> i think it means the wool is being pulled back now because they have no choice.

he tried to pressure one of the women into -- >> jennie willoughby -- >> there are reports coming outf the white house that he was misleading people in the white house about what happened. we don't know what he told the fbi. this was not someone worth defending before or after the information became public, and all of it hurt the president and the presidency today. >> so why -- >> and that is a terrible thing. >> why does the president of the united states defend him today? >> i don't know. i don't know. but for his presidency and for the way women and really all americans are going to view the way he looks into these things, i worry that no one is saying, mr. president, the long-term view of how you're going to be perceived on handling this cultural movement at this time of your presidency is being damaged. >> tara, there's now a second white house staffer, david sorensen resigning over domestic abuse allegations. he denies. that that is a sign that the white house might be looking to staffers backgrounds more thoroughly? >> i think it means the wool is being pulled back now because

. >> reporter: one of porter's ex's, jennie willoughby says i was floored.ned to me and says the president of the united states called you a liar. she expressed outrage over the president's saturday tweet, railing against false accusations and demanding due process for men accused of sexual misconduct. senator gillibrand reminded her constituents more than a dozen women accused trump, claiming, if he wants due process, let's have congressional hearings tomorrow. >> those accusers have had their day on your network and elsewhere for a long time. >> they have no witnesses. there's nobody around. it's a total set up. >> reporter: trump denies he groped any of his accusers. >> believe me, she would not be my first choice, that, i can tell you. >> reporter: when it comes to friends and allies, he gives them the benefit of the doubt. roger ales -- >> i can tell you, some of the women complaining, i know how much he's helped them. >> reporter: to roy moore. >> he says it didn't happen. >> reporter: trump isn't the only one facing questions. chief of staff, john kel

and emotionally abusing his second wife jennie willoughby and doing it to such a menacing degree she had to get an order of protection. >> after he did ultimately leave and i closed the door and locked it behind him, he returned a moment later and punched in the glass on the front door. and because i did know that his anger was unpredictable, i didn't know what he would do next, and i -- >> you were frightened? >> yeah, i was scared. >> it was after that that the police officer recommended she get a temporary order of protection. now, the president did not mention her today, nor did he mention rob porter's more recent ex-girlfriend also alleging abuse. nor did john kelly's memo to staffers last night or his public statement acknowledge any of rob porter's accusers. what really stands out is the president's almost reflexive defense of an alleged abuser or even simple acknowledgement of the accusers and their allegations. as stunning as that was to hear today, maybe it really shouldn't have been stunning because this president has a history of doing for others what he did today for rob

. >> reporter: no the women who accused porter of physical and verbal abuse, jenny willoughby worried her ex-husband would be vulnerable to blackmail. >> i told him i'm going to tell them the truth. >> reporter: jon kelley now is denying reports that he offered to resign, telling nbc news twice here at the white house that was not the case, but i am told by a source close to the chief of staff that he is feeling irritated, that he continues to be dogged by fallout from this porter scandal. dara, back to you. >> thanks, hallie. let's bring in jill coven, white house reporter for the associated press and julia manchester, reporter for "the hill." great to have you both this morning. >> thanks, dara. >> jill, what is conventional wisdom in the white house whether jon kelley should lose his job? some staffers accused him of not telling the truth and his actions thereafter. is there a sense staffers have had enough? >> we caught jon kelley in the hallway there. he was very adamant about his version of the time line. the problem is that contradicts with what a lot of people in the white hou

. >> reporter: today, one of porter's exes, jennie willoughby, recounts her own anguished response to the president's remarks in "time" magazine. quote, "i was floored," she writes. "my friend turned to me and said, 'the president of the united states just called you a liar.'" she also expressed outrage over the president's saturday tweet. railing against false allegations, and demanding due process for men accused of sexual misconduct. senator kirsten gillibrand reminded her constituents that more than a dozen women have accused trump, tweeting, "if he wants due process, let's have congressional hearings tomorrow." >> those accusers have had their day on your network and elsewhere for a long time. >> they have no witnesses, there's nobody around. it's a total setup. >> reporter: trump adamantly denies he ever groped any of his accusers. >> believe me, she would not be my first choice. that i can tell you. >> reporter: and, when it comes to his friends and allies, he gives them the benefit of the doubt. from roger ailes -- >> i can tell you that some of the women that are complaining.

there from president trump of the women who accused porter of physical and verbal abuse, like jenny willoughbywho was interviewed by the fbi, worried her ex-husband could be vulnerable to blackmail. >> he was curious what i was going to say. what are you going to tell them? i told him, i'm going to tell them the truth. >> reporter: john kelly tonight is denying reports that he offered to resign, telling nbc news twice that is not the case. but i'm told by a source close to the chief of staff that he is feeling irritated that he continues to be dogged by fallout from this porter scandal. lester? >> hallie jackson at the white house, thank you. >>> while all that continues to unfold the government is once again open for business after the second shutdown of the year ended just hours after it began overnight. president trump signed a bipartisan $400 billion deal to fund the government for the next two years after congress passed it in the wee hours of the morning. the bill is set to balloon the deficit over a trillion dollars. >>> another wild day on wall street. volatile swings ending with a lat

his second wife jennie willoughby says she told them everything. >> i told them all of the details of my marriage including verbal and emotional abuse. >> reporter: "the washington post" reporting white house counsel don mcghan first learned of the abuse allegations around the time of the president's inauguration. porter denies abusing his ex-wives saying these outrageous allegations are simply false. i took the photos and the reality behind them is nowhere close to what is being described. >> we wish him well. >> reporter: this is not the first time the president has come to the defense of a man accused of violence against women. he endorsed alabama senate candidate roy moore in the face of multiple sexual misconduct accusations. >> what do you say to women? >> let me just tell you, roy moore denies it. that's all i can say. he denies it. and, by the way, he totally denies it. >> reporter: more than a dozen women have accused the president himself of sexual misconduct. he's branded all of them liars. and today he had nothing but good wishes for rob porter. >> we absolutely wish him w

jenni pi jenni will willoughby and reaction that came first on camera. watch this. >> he says he is innocent. i think you have to remember that. but we absolutely wish him well. >> and then on twitter, where the president lamented the loss of due process in these types of cases. and jennie willoughby, in light of the president's and the white house's continued dismissal of me and colbie, i want it assure you my thuj has not been diminished. i own my story and now that i have been compelled to share it, i'm not willing to cover it up for anyone. now trying to explain away the president's tweet, watch. >> the president's tweet yesterday was more generic. he never said the me too movement or rob porter's name. >> i think the tweet could be applied to a bunch of different people. i noticed rob porter wasn't mentioned. i wondered if the president was talking about his friend steve wynn who was accused and ba basically condemned without due process. >> thii think he is saddened wi what happened with rob. >> what does the president's reaction say about how he v

porter's second wife, jennie willoughby, responded with a scathing takedown, writing in "time magazine," "if the most powerful people in the nation do not believe my story of abuse in the face of overwhelming evidence, then what hope do others have of being heard?" with the west wing in chaos with today, aides came to the president's defense. >> the president has been very clear that all forms of abuse, all forms of battery against women are deplorable and disgusting. >> but he hasn't said that. >> right, but you haven't talked to him today. >> reporte instead, press secretary sarah sanders read a statement, saying the words many have been waiting to hear froml. why haven't we heard the president say exactly what you just said right there, that he takes domestic violence very seriously? >> i spoke with the president, those are actually directly his words that he gave me. >> reporter: why hasn't he said that? he had the opportunity. >> i spoke to him, and he relayed that mesge directly to me a i'm relaying it directly to you. >> reporter: does he believe rob porter's accusers, or are th

. >> reporter: in "time" magazine, porter's second ex-wife, jennie willoughby, said, i was floored. my friend turned to me and said, the president of the united states just called you a liar. the white house insists porter misled them and they aktd swiftly after seeing these photos of porter's first ex-wife, colbie holderness. the first wife claims that the pictures and information came up as part of porter's background check in 2017. it was suggested that the tweet was not about the president's aide. >> the tweet could be applied to a bunch of people that wondered if the president was talking about his friend, steve wynn. >> reporter: wynn faces accusation of sexual misconduct by dozens of women. and new york senator kirsten gillibrand reminding the constituents so does the president. telling "60 minutes" -- >> congress should hold him accountable. we are obligated to have hearings. >> reporter: the president has fundamentally denied those allegations. >> those accusers have had their day on your network and elsewhere for a long time. >> reporter: well, publicly, the president cont

porter's second wife, jenny willoughby, tells "the intercept," "he came to the shower and grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me out of the shower to continue arguing." after an incident in 2010, willoughby filed for a protective order, telling authorities, "he punched in the glass on the door. i called the police, afraid he would break in." the allegations seeming to catch many in the west wing by surprise. does the president have any concerns about these domestic violence allegations raised against rob porter? >> i haven't spoken to him about specific concerns. >> reporter: you haven't talked to the president about this -- >> about whether or not he has specific concerns, i haven't asked him that question. >> reporter: has he seen the photos of rob porter's ex-wife with a black eye? >> i don't know. >> cecilia vega live with us from the white house tonight. and cecilia, we know rob porter is one of the president's top aides. porter's own words today, calling this a smear campaign. as you reported there, the white house making it very clear that he was not pushed out. >> reporter

jenni pi jenni will willoughby and reaction that came first on camera. says he is innocent. i think you have to remember that. but we absolutely wish him well. >> and then on twitter, where the president lamented the loss of due process in these types of cases. and jennie willoughby, in light of the president's and the white house's continued dismissal of me and colbie, i want it assure you my thuj has not been diminished. i own my story and now that i have been compelled to share it, i'm not willing to cover it up for anyone.

porter's second wife, jennie willoughby, told "the washington post" about an alleged attack after their first anniversary. >> he came and grabbed me by the shoulders here and pulled me out of a shower in a rage and immediately i'm seeing the terror in my face retracted and apologized. >> reporter: in 2010 that second ex-wife got an emergency protective order against porter. he's called the allegations against him a coordinated smear campaign. diane and kendis. >> and, kenneth, what are you hearing about these reports that porter is romantically involved with another white house official? >> diane, porter has been linked to white house communications director hope hicks. the couple has recently been seen out on the town. "the washington post" reports that hicks was involved in the white house's defense of porter. diane and kendis. >> all right. kenneth moton for us live in d.c. thanks, kenneth. >>> all right, now to the other big story in washington. another shutdown is looming. the deadline midnight tonight. but something rare has happened. democrats and republicans have reached a deal.

porter's first ex-wife, jennie willoughby is writing in "time" magazine. nation don't see my story of abuse where overwhelming evidence, what hope do others have of being heard? the white house is now rolling out infrastructure week. >> thank you, joshlg. >>> to a big change that may be coming to the way your packages are delivered. amazon, they're at it again. ek employering the idea of taking a step in the shipping business. taking on fedex and u.p.s. rebecca jarvis is here. how is this going to work out? >> good morning, michael. is there any business amazon is not trying to get point? this is the company helped fuel boom in online shopping. now they want to own more of that process. later this year, amazon is expected to pick up packages from brick and mortar businesses and deliver them to consumers. they'll test this service in los angeles before rolling out to more consumers around the country later this year. am zon is not outright confirming it. but they're not disputing it. telling us, we're always infoe rate issing and experiments on behalf of cu

. >>> rob porter's former wife, jennie willoughby is here. it's difficult to relive a painful past. you? >> it's certainly been overwhelming. i did not seek this out, did not ask for it. as the moment was brought to me to share the intimate and pairful details that i have not shared with family and friends, has been cathartic. >> when you say shameful, what do you mean by that? >> anybody in an abusive relationship, you feel like it's your fault. i realize, as i speak out about it, i had done the healing, i had shame in telling that story. >> you were married three years, correct? >> four years. >> when did you know this has crossed a line? >> you know, abuse is a really tricky thing. it starts -- it starts slow. and it starts -- it cycles where you don't really see it for what it is. i don't think i realized that i could even call my marriage abusive until about a year in. >> what was the moment? was it what we read in the p papers, when you say he pulled you out of the shower. what happened? >> we had been fighting. rob followed me to the shower and pulled me out of the shower to

and overnight his second wife, jennie willoughby telling "the washington post" this story of how porterllegedly attacked her in the shower just after their first anniversary. >> he came and grabbed me by the shoulders here and pulled me out of the shower in a rage and immedia immediately on seeing the terror in my face retracted and apologized. >> reporter: porter resigning abruptly saying in a statement these outrage allegations are simply false. i took the photos and the reality behind them is nowhere close to what is being described. i have been transparent and truthful about these vile claims. the white house says no one forced porter out. >> i think that was a personal decision that rob made and one that he was not pressured to do but one that he made on his own. >> reporter: he is also romantically linked to hope hicks, the couple recently spotted together out on the town in this dailymail.com photo. when the story broke chief of staff john kelly called porter a man of true integrity and honor. overnight kelly issued a second statement now saying he was shocked by the allegations

end with -- so we don't forget who the president forgot in all of this, dana, you mentioned jenny willoughby, porter's second ex-wife. she was on with anderson, incredible interview. she talks about the conversation she had with porter over this blog post. i read it yesterday, why she stayed married, right? and still i stayed. so this is what she said. >> can you say what he wanted -- >> i don't remember the exact wording but it was something along the lines of "the post" does not accurately depict my marriage and there were some other things associated with it. that just didn't feel right to me. because it does accurately depict my marriage. and another thing that he wanted me to say was that i had taken some liberties with this therapeutic post, which it was for me, that i had taken liberties with that therapeutic post. and when i thought about it, i didn't. the things that i said were factual statements. >> it does sound like he was asking you to deny what you had -- >> he was asking me to downplay it. he was asking me to emphasize more the relationship that he and i have now as opposed t

porter's second wife, jenny willoughby, responds with a scathing public takedown in "time" magazine.in the most powerful people in the nation do not believe my story of abuse in the face of overwhelming evidence, what hope do others have of being heard?" with the west wing in chaos, aides came to the president's defense. >> the president has been very clear that all forms of abuse, all forms of battery against women -- >> he hasn't said that though. >> right, but you haven't talked to him today. >> reporter: sarah sanders read a statement saying the words many have been waiting to hear from the president himself. >> why haven't we heard the president say exactly what you said right there, that he takes domestic violence very seriously? >> i spoke with the president, and those were directly his words that he gave me. >> but why hasn't he said that? he had the opportunity. >> i spoke to him, he relayed that message directly to me, and i'm relaying it directly to you. >> does he believe rob porter's accusers, or are they lying? >> as i said, the. >> th-- the president, along wi the enti

instead, as we heard from the piece written by jenny willoughby. >> worth reading. >> certainly is. >> her point is that people like her that have the strength and courage to come forward, they need to be listened to. so far they don't feel he's listening. >> she said in that piece, this is a societal issue. and the tone has just been set at the white house. >> we are working on a documentary on this issue. we have been for months. it will astound. let me say something the men who are out there taking the president's back on this and forwarding the arguments, you're embarrassing yourself. you're embarrassing your families. put something approximate before your politics. this is a joke. tara, al us, thank you very much. >>> so the winter games, big. off to a big start. the whole geo-political angle. see the lady on on your screen? wow did she set history. a figure skater has done something no other on american woman has done in an olympic competition. a live report from south korea next. for all the noses that stuff up around pets. there's flonase sensimist. it relieves all your worst

the fbi i'm told also heard similar information from his second wife, jenny willoughby, though thereas no evidence he gave her a black eye, as he allegedly did with colby. colby tells fox news that she shared her story with another woman on the day of january 24th, 2017. that woman is samantha drabis, an attorney with the epa, and tl is a photograph of her there, who was dating porter at the time, in recent weeks, porter broke up with drabis, and began dating hope hicks. while their relationship was a known secret here at the white house, it became public very recently, which is when all of the allegations about porter began to swirl. sources tell fox news that a small group of individuals here at the white house knew about some of the allegations for a period of months, not sure exactly how long, chief of staff, john kelly, was a fierce defender, in a statement released earlier this week. it is a statement actually that hope hicks helped him craft. kelly said, quote, rob porter is a man of true integrity and honor, and i can't say enough good things about him. he is a friend, confid

jennie willoughby blasting that moment president trump broke his silence about the allegations. he never mentioned the women, instead he praised porter. >> we wish him well. it's obviously a tough time. for him. he also -- as you probably know, he says he's innocent, and i think you have to remember that. >> reporter: willoughby writing in "time" magazine, i was floored. my friend turned to me and said, the president of the united states just called you a liar. yes. and so he did. these photos including holderness' black eye, sending the white house into chaos. willoughby accusing president trump of setting a frightening tone for the nation. and she says he delivered a clear message, quote, if the most powerful people in the nation don't believe my story of abuse in the face of overwhelming evidence, then what hope do others have of being heard? over the weekend, the president fanning the flames with this tweet. peoples lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation. is there no such thing any longer as due process? porter denies the allegations. the white house no

the two ex-wives of rob porter who make this case, and jenni willoughby, one of the ex-wives, says shee hicks who was, at least last week, in a relationship with rob porter. i don't know if there's a change to that relationship. she was on "state of the union" sunday, kellyanne conway, and says this. >> in the case of hope, i've never met somebody with such strong instincts and loyalties and smarts. >> porter's first ex-wife took offense to that. she wrote, conway's statement implies that those in abusive relationships are not strong. i beg to differ. being strong with expert instincts and loyalty and smarts does not inoculate a person against abuse. it doesn't prevent her from entering into a relationship with an abuser. while i cannot say i am surprised, i expected a woman to do better. the full context, to be fair to kellyanne, she was condemning abuse, but this particular part, we're in the middle of another interesting debate. >> it is interesting. i wouldn't want to get into sort of saying whether kellyanne was right or wrong to say what she said about that, but there is plenty o

in an essay for time magazine, jennie willoughby claiming sexual abuse is reacting to the president'si watched as the president of the united states sat in the oval office and praised the work of my ex-husband and wished him future success. i can't say i was surprised, but when donald trump repeated twice that rob declared his innocence, i was floored. what was his intent in emphasizing that point? my friend turned to me and said the president of the united states just called you a liar. yes, regarding the president's tweet she writes, the words mere allegation and falsely accuse meant to imply that i am a liar, that colby holderness is a liar, that the work rob was doing in the white house was of higher value than our mental, emotional and physical well being, that abuse is something to be questioned and doubted. while i may have compassion for my ex-husband and recognize his need for help, i do not tolerate abuse. while i may understand president trump and general kelly's inkra duty at such a counterimage of their golden boy, i do not condone their choice to support him. in light of

jenni willoughby writes in time.com, in light of the president and the white house's continuous dismissal to make sure you know my truth has not been diminished. i own my story, and now that i have been compelled to share it, i'm not willing to cover it up for anyone and for any men, women or children currently in situations of abuse, please know it is real. you are not crazy. you are not alone. i believe you. her op-ed comes after the president tweeted yesterday that, quoting now, people's lives are being shattered by mere allegations. the white house defended

now when jennie willoughby read that, she believed the president suggested she didn't tell the truth. she wrote an op op-ed in "time" magazine. the words mere allegation and falsely accused meant to imply that amany a liar. that colbi is a liar. that abuse is something to be questioned and doubted. she goes on ultimately. this is not a political issue. this is a societal issue. and the tone has just been reset by the white house. if the most powerful people in the nation do not believe my story of abuse in the face of overwhelming evidence, then what hope do others have of being heard? cnn correspondent ryan nobles is at the white house right now. ryan, this op-ed is a straight shot at the president. any official response to it? >> no, not at all, ana. the white house yet to respond to that. the white house is set tomorrow to unveil a $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan, plan they think could be a big win for this administration and big help to the american people. but that's not the overriding story that told out of this white house this weekend. it is the lack of consistency with thei

there's ample evidence here that the story that jennie willoughby told so compellingly last night onr program is true, and it was backed up by another of his wives and a girlfriend. and yet all of this -- you know, there were orders of protection filed. all of this was available, and you have to willfully ignore it not to act on it. >> also for the white house then to allow the president to go out and speak apparently what he actually believes seems doubly insane to me. >> yeah. >> i mean if you know the president has said this kind of thing in the past, you would think kelly or somebody else would say to the president -- >> absolutely. >> -- you know, how about saying this this time? >> and we don't know that they didn't. that was my first thought. i mean i watched with my mouth agape. they called the white house press corps in for the express purpose of addressing this issue, and the president delivered a full-throated defense of porter and not one word of solis tud for the victims. in fact, he appeared to be doing what he's done in many other instances like this. he appeared to be

amy: on sunday, porter's second ex-wife, jennie willoughby, publish a powerful "time magazine" essay, in which she addressed trump's comments, writing -- "when donald trump repeated twice that rob declared his innocence, i was floored. my friend turned to me and said, 'the president of the united states just called you a liar.' yes. and so he did." president trump himself has been accused of sexual assault or harassment by at least 16 women. senior white house officials, including chief of staff general john kelly, knew for months that the fbi had heard testimony from porter's ex-wives about the verbal and physical abuse. but on sunday, porter told the news outlet axios that white house officials had encouraged him to stay and fight the accusations, rather than resign. the justice department's third highest ranking official, rachel brand, announced abruptly on friday she plans to step down. her resignation comes as president trump has repeatedly attacked the justice department, over the ongoing investigation into trump and whether his presidential campaign colluded with russia. rachel