A White House speech writer resigned Friday after his former wife claimed that he was violent and emotionally abusive during their turbulent two-and-a-half-year marriage — allegations that he vehemently denied, saying she was the one who victimized him.The abrupt departure of David Sorensen, a speech writer who worked closely with senior policy adviser Stephen Miller, came as The Washington Post was preparing a story about abuse claims by his ex-wife, Jessica Corbett. Corbett told The Post that she reported his behaviour to the FBI last fall as the bureau was conducting a background check of Sorensen.White House officials said they learned of the accusations by Sorensen’s wife Thursday night, before The Post’s inquiries.Read more:Trump chief of staff John Kelly says he’s willing to resign over White House abuse scandal‘It’s a, obviously, tough time for him’: Trump defends aide who resigned over domestic abuse allegationsWhite House officials knew about Rob Porter’s abuse allegations for months, sources say“We immediately confronted the staffer, he denied the allegations and he resigned today,” spokesperson Raj Shah said in a statement Friday evening.In a text message to The Post, Sorensen said he stepped down because he “didn’t want the White House to have to deal with this distraction.”“It should be able to focus on continuing President [Donald] Trump’s historic accomplishments for the American People,” he texted.Sorensen’s resignation comes two days after another administration official, staff secretary Rob Porter, departed after two ex-wives said that he physically abused them. Senior White House officials and the FBI knew about the allegations for months, raising questions about why he was allowed to remain in his post.Administration officials said Sorensen’s position as a speech writer at the Council on Environmental Quality, a division of the Executi ...
|
