White House Communications Director Hope Hicks in the Oval Office on Feb. 2, 2018.
- Hope Hicks, the White House communications director, played a key role in drafting a statement expressing vehement support for staff secretary Rob Porter, multiple sources told CNN.
- Porter resigned on Wednesday over spousal abuse allegations published in multiple
news outlets. - The statement Hicks helped draft called Porter a "man of true integrity and honor."
As the Daily Mail was preparing to publish a story on Tuesday containing allegations of spousal abuse against Rob Porter, the White House staff secretary, chief of staff John Kelly gave the British tabloid an odd statement singing Porter's praises.
"Rob Porter is a man of true integrity and honor and I can't say enough good things about him," the statement read. "He is a friend, a confidante, and a trusted professional. I am proud to serve alongside him."
After the story was published, Kelly's statement immediately raised eyebrows for its full-throated support of an alleged domestic violence perpetrator, but Kelly reportedly didn't write it alone. Hope Hicks, the White House communications director who is reportedly romantically involved with Porter, helped draft the statement, people familiar with the matter told CNN.
Hicks worked alongside White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Josh Raffel, another White House spokesman with a close relationship to Porter, to write Kelly's statement, according to CNN.
Kelly issued a starkly different statement on Wednesday after Porter resigned and further details emerged in The Intercept, including photos of a black eye Holderness said Porter gave her.
"I was shocked by the new allegations released today against Rob Porter. There is no place for domestic violence in our society," Kelly said in the second statement. "I stand by my previous comments of the Rob Porter that I have come to know since becoming Chief of Staff, and believe every individual deserves the right to defend their reputation. I accepted his resignation earlier today, and will ensure a swift and orderly transition."
Porter has denied his ex-wives' allegations, calling them "simply false" and suggesting that the photos provided by Holderness misrepresented what actually happened.
"I have been transparent and truthful about these vile claims, but I will not further engage publicly with a coordinated smear campaign," he said.
The Daily Mail reported February 1 that Porter and Hicks were "seen canoodling" after leaving a DC restaurant, and several sources told CNN that the two were dating.