White House speechwriter resigns after domestic abuse allegations
— -- White House speechwriter David Sorensen resigned Friday following domestic abuse allegations, a senior White House official told ABC News.The news was first reported by the Washington Post.
Sorensen’s resignation came on the heels of separate domestic abuse allegations against former White House staff Secretary Rob Porter from two of his ex-wives. Porter denies the claims.
The abuse allegations against Porter roiled the West Wing and ultimately led to Chief of Staff John Kelly indicating to President Donald Trump that he’s willing to offer his resignation in the wake of the president’s displeasure over how the issue was handled, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News.
Senior White House officials were aware of the allegations against Porter for months, sources told ABC News, but did not know the extent of the claims. ABC News has not spoken with Sorensen nor with his ex-wife, Jessica Corbett, who, according to the Washington Post, said she reported his behavior to the FBI during their background check of the speechwriter.
According to the Washington Post, Sorensen denies the claims and said he was victimized by his wife.
"Before we were contacted by the media, we learned last night that there were allegations. We immediately confronted the staffer, he denied the allegations and he resigned today," Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah said in a statement.
A White House official added that Sorensen's position did not require a security clearance and that a background check was ongoing. He worked at the Council on Environmental Quality which is part of the Executive Office of the President. In a text message to Washington Post, Sorensen said he stepped down because he “didn’t want the White House to have to deal with this distraction.”
ABC News John Santucci and Jordyn Phelps contributed to this report.
