text: A senior White House official said Wednesday that he would resign after his two ex-wives accused him of physical and emotional abuse, with one presenting pictures of her blackened eye. 
   
   The official, Rob Porter, served as the staff secretary, a title that belies the role’s importance in any White House — but especially in President Trump’s. Porter functioned as Chief of Staff John F. Kelly’s top enforcer in their shared mission to instill discipline and order in what had become an extraordinarily chaotic West Wing. He was the gatekeeper to the Oval Office, determining which articles and policy proposals reached the president’s hands and screening the briefing materials that his visitors shared with him. 
   
   Aides had been aware generally of accusations against Porter since late last year, White House advisers said, but learned of the specifics late Tuesday when approached by a reporter from DailyMail.com, which first detailed many of the allegations. Porter’s ex-wives said they informed the FBI in January 2017 of their allegations against him while they were being interviewed by agents as part of Porter’s security clearance review. It was unclear when or whether the FBI informed the White House. The FBI did not respond to a request for comment. 
   
   Porter said on Tuesday that he would resign, after the allegations were first published, people close to him say, even as he told White House officials he had never physically abused women. But he was talked out of it by Kelly and others, according to these people, with Kelly saying he believed Porter’s denials and saw him as a valuable ally in the White House. Kelly continued to press him to stay in his job Wednesday, saying he could weather the storm, but Porter decided the controversy had become too much after the photos of his ex-wife’s blackened eye appeared Wednesday morning. 
   
   In interviews with The Washington Post and other media outlets, Porter’s ex-wives described him as having a dark side and, at times, a violent streak that White House aides say they did not see. 
   
   Porter’s first wife, Colbie Holderness, said in an interview with The Post that he was continually abusive during their marriage. She alleged he punched her in the face during a trip to Florence in 2005 and provided photos showing her with a black eye. 
   
   
   
   Colbie Holderness after an alleged incident with her then-husband Rob Porter in 2005. (Courtesy of Colbie Holderness/Courtesy of Colbie Holderness) 
   
   “He threw me down and punched me in the face,” she said. Holderness said she had insisted that he take pictures of her bruised eye after the assault and he agreed. “He was trying to make it up to me, and I said I wanted evidence if this should happen again.” 
   
   Porter denied the accusations but said he was stepping down from his job, although it was unclear when he will officially leave the White House. 
   
   “These outrageous allegations are simply false. I took the photos given to the media nearly 15 years ago and the reality behind them is nowhere close to what is being described,” he said in a statement. “I have been transparent and truthful about these vile claims, but I will not further engage publicly with a coordinated smear campaign.” 
   
   On Wednesday night, Kelly issued a statement condemning Porter’s alleged abuses while still expressing support for his aide. 
   
   “I was shocked by the new allegations released today against Rob Porter. There is no place for domestic violence in our society,” Kelly said. “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.” 
   
   
   
   Jennifer Willoughby, ex-wife of Rob Porter, on Wednesday in Alexandria, Va. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post) 
   
   Porter’s second wife, Jennie Willoughby, received a temporary emergency protective order in ­Arlington in June 2010 after saying he refused to leave her residence, in violation of their separation agreement. She said he broke her window, causing his knuckles to bleed. The document, a copy of which was obtained by The Post, concludes that “reasonable grounds exist to believe that [Porter] has committed family abuse and there is probable danger of a further such offense.” 
   
   [Read the emergency protective order against Rob Porter] 
   
   Kathryn Hughes, a 36-year-old public relations consultant who lives in Kamas, Utah, said that in 2012, Willoughby confided in her about another violent incident, in December 2010, in which Willoughby alleged that Porter grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her from the shower during a fight. Hughes said that she and Willoughby met in 2010 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Alexandria and that they struck up a close friendship. 
   
   “She told me that he had been screaming at her while she was in the shower and yanked her out and bruised her,” Hughes said in an interview with The Post, corroborating Willoughby’s account. “She also told me he was verbally abusive, and I witnessed some of that.” 
   
   Willoughby and Holderness said they talked to the FBI about Porter twice last year, once in late January and then again months later. Willoughby provided the contact information for the FBI agent she spoke with, who declined to comment when reached Wednesday. Holderness said that when the FBI asked her whether Porter was vulnerable to blackmail, she answered affirmatively, because of the number of people aware of his abusive behavior. 
   
   “I thought by sharing my story with the FBI he wouldn’t be put in that post,” Holderness said. “I’m telling the FBI this is what he’s done, and Jennie Willoughby is telling them what he’s done, and the White House says, sure, this is okay? I was let down by that.” 
   
   Willoughby said Porter angrily called her when she wrote a blog post about him in April — without naming him — and asked her to remove it, concerned about his image. She said Porter demanded again in the fall that she take down the blog post, citing delays in his security clearance. In January, he asked her again to take it down, she said, telling her that reporters were looking into his past. 
   
   “He has never faced repercussions that forced him to confront his issues,” Willoughby said in an interview Wednesday at an Alexandria restaurant. “I care about him and want what’s best for him, but that doesn’t necessarily mean him keeping his job, because he needs to face these underlying issues.” 
   
   White House officials said early Wednesday that Porter could continue working for several weeks, but as the backlash grew Wednesday night, a senior White House official said he was expected to leave within 48 hours. Porter is an ally of Kelly, and in addition to serving as staff secretary, he oversaw and sought to streamline the White House’s ­policymaking process, working with Cabinet members and other agency officials and leading meetings about issues including immigration and trade. He played an integral role in crafting Trump’s State of the Union address last month. 
   
   Kelly saw in Porter a partner in professionalizing the operation. Porter is one of the few senior White House staffers with past government experience, having served as chief of staff to Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah). Though many of his colleagues have eclectic backgrounds, Porter boasts a classic pedigree as a Harvard University-educated Rhodes scholar whose father, Roger B. Porter, held senior positions in the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush White Houses. 
   
   In a White House known for its ever-evolving personnel dramas, Porter kept a low profile, only rarely agreeing to be interviewed on the record and never appearing as a surrogate on television. 
   
   But he was a highly visible figure in Trump’s orbit. He was seemingly omnipresent in the Oval Office for key meetings and events, and regularly traveled with the president — often being one of only a handful of aides to accompany him on the Marine One helicopter before joining the larger staff entourage aboard Air Force One. When Trump spent weekends at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida or his Bedminster golf course in New Jersey, Porter often was along for the trip, tending to the president’s needs and briefing him on developments. 
   
   When the allegations were published Tuesday, the White House mobilized to defend Porter. 
   
   White House communications director Hope Hicks is dating Porter, according to people familiar with the relationship, and was involved in the White House’s defense of Porter on Tuesday evening. “Rob Porter is a man of true integrity and honor and I can’t say enough good things about him,” Kelly said in a statement Tuesday night. “He is a friend, a confidante and a trusted professional. I am proud to serve alongside him.” 
   
   The White House also distributed a statement from Hatch defending Porter. “It’s incredibly discouraging to see such a vile attack on such a decent man,” Hatch said in a statement. After the release of the photos of Holderness’s bruised eye, Hatch released a new statement. 
   
   “I am heartbroken by today’s allegations. In every interaction I’ve had with Rob, he has been courteous, professional, and respectful,” he said. “My staff loved him and he was a trusted advisor. I do not know the details of Rob’s personal life. Domestic violence in any form is abhorrent. I am praying for Rob and those involved.” 
   
   Porter’s most recent ex-girlfriend, who also works in the administration, reached out to the White House last year to express her concerns about him after she discovered his relationship with Hicks, according to a senior administration official. She told the White House counsel’s office about allegations from his ex-wives, this person said. That development was first reported by Politico. 
   
   The decision by Kelly and other top White House aides to defend Porter from domestic-violence ­allegations is in keeping with Trump’s modus operandi. Throughout his life, Trump has refused to apologize for alleged misdeeds, believing any such concession to be an admission of guilt and a sign of weakness. 
   
   During the 2016 campaign, more than a dozen women accused Trump of sexual harassment and assault, but the then-candidate denied them all outright. He fought back against the accusers, calling the women liars and even threatening to sue some of them. 
   
   Trump’s posture and inclinations have shaped the culture of the West Wing, where aides often hunker down and try to fight back against accusations or scrutiny from the media or other outside forces. 
   
   Asked Wednesday whether Trump had any concerns about the allegations against Porter or with the photos of Holderness, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, “I don’t know.” 
   
   Vice President Pence, who is travelling in Asia, said he was unaware of any of the allegations against Porter until he learned of them Wednesday while in Tokyo. 
   
   Porter had a reputation in the building for his fastidious work and was liked by the president, who sometimes rages at other aides. His ex-wives said that Porter directed his abusive behavior toward them in private. 
   
   “In my experience, his anger and his lashing out is very much limited to intimate, personal romantic relationships,” Willoughby said. “He has the ability to compartmentalize and maintain his integrity and professionalism at work. . . . He is charming and intelligent and fun and chivalrous and — in capital letters — angry and deeply flawed.” 
   
   Willoughby, a writer and former high school teacher, said she was unaware of the abuse alleged by Porter’s first wife while she was with him. But Holderness reached out to her through Facebook in late January 2017 after she was contacted by the FBI and anticipating the background-check interview. 
   
   The two met for lunch in Arlington in March and shared their stories — months before they were contacted by reporters and shared those stories publicly this week. 
   
   Philip Rucker, Tom Jackman and Ashley Parker contributed to this report. ||||| Rob Porter has resigned from his role as White House staff secretary after his first ex-wife told DailyMail.com that he choked and punched her during their marriage. 
   
   Colbie Holderness, 37, who is a senior analyst for the U.S. government, spoke on the record to DailyMail.com about her five-year marriage to Porter, detailing physical and mental abuse. 
   
   She said he broke down her confidence so badly with his verbal and emotional abuse that she took an extended leave of absence from grad school. 
   
   Holderness's revelations follow DailyMail.com's exclusive interview on Tuesday evening with Porter's second wife, Jennifer Willoughby. 
   
   She told how Porter, 40, once dragged her wet and naked out of the shower and was verbally abusive, calling her a f***ing b***h' on their honeymoon. 
   
   The White House initially gave Porter its full support. But just hours after the second set of revelations, Porter resigned while still protesting his innocence. 
   
   'These outrageous allegations are simply false. I took the photos given to the media nearly 15 years ago and the reality behind them is nowhere close to what is being described,' Porter said in a statement Wednesday. 
   
   'I have been transparent and truthful about these vile claims, but I will not further engage publicly with a coordinated smear campaign. 
   
   'My commitment to public service speaks for itself. I have always put duty to country first and treated others with respect. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have served in the Trump Administration and will seek to ensure a smooth transition when I leave the White House.' 
   
   SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO 
   
   Colbie Holderness married Porter in June 2003 at New College Chapel in Oxford, England where Porter was attending as a Rhodes scholar 
   
   Holderness, 37, who is a senior analyst for the U.S. government, spoke on the record to DailyMail.com about her five-year marriage following the on-the-record allegations by Rob Porter's second wife, Jennifer Willoughby 
   
   Colbie tells DailyMail.com that while she and Porter were on a vacation in Florence, Italy, a couple of years after they married in the early 2000s, Porter punched her in the face 
   
   Porter, 40, has been described as one of the most important players in Trump's daily Oval Office orbit, and helped him write last week's State of the Union Address 
   
   Hope Hicks, 29, was seen leaving her D.C. apartment with White House Staff Secretary Porter 10 days ago 
   
   On Wednesday White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders refused to comment on his security clearance, however, and dodged a question about why President Trump would accept his resignation even though the White House had emphasized the trust and faith the administration had in Porter. 
   
   'As has always been our policy when it comes to security clearances, we don't comment on them. I'm not going to change that today,' she said. 
   
   'I can tell you that Rob has been an effective in his role as staff secretary. The president and chief of staff have full confidence and trust in his abilities and his performance.' 
   
   Sanders then read Porter's full statement on air before adding: 'He is going to be leaving the White House. It won't be immediate. But he is resigning from the White House but is going to stay on to ensure that there's a smooth transition moving forward.' 
   
   The two sets of revelations have stunned the White House and led to a dramatic exit for Porter. 
   
   In 2010, Jennifer Willoughby – Porter's second ex-wife – filed a protective order against him after he violated their separation agreement and refused to leave their apartment. 
   
   Rob Porter is a man of true integrity and honor and I can't say enough good things about him. He is a friend, a confidante and a trusted professional. I am proud to serve alongside him. Chief of Staff John Kelly after being contacted by DailyMail.com Feb. 6 
   
   According to a complaint filed with the police, he punched the glass on the door to their home, cutting his hand in the process. 
   
   And Porter's first ex-wife, Holderness, revealed to DailyMail.com that she was interviewed by the FBI – as was Willoughby – about their marriage after Porter was tapped for his current White House position as staff secretary. Porter required a security clearance – which he has not received. 
   
   Holderness shared the photos of her injuries with the FBI, photos pictured in this story. 
   
   Last week, DailyMail.com revealed that Porter, who is Mormon, and White House Director of Communications Hope Hicks are dating, and were seen kissing in a cab on the way back to her apartment from a bar. 
   
   When reached for comment about second wife Jennifer Willoughby's story, before he had resigned, Porter told DailyMail.com: 'I will not comment about these matters, beyond stating that many of these allegations are slanderous and simply false.' 
   
   White House Chief of Staff John Kelly issued an official statement late Wednesday saying: 'I was shocked by the new allegations released today against Rob Porter. There is no place for domestic violence in our society. 
   
   '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.' 
   
   Kelly had earlier in the day fiercely backed Porter. 
   
   'Rob Porter is a man of true integrity and honor and I can't say enough good things about him. He is a friend, a confidante and a trusted professional. I am proud to serve alongside him,' he said. 
   
   But, rather than being a man of integrity, first wife Colbie says Porter is 'a bit of a monster' and has displayed a pattern of abuse with women. 
   
   'I was his first wife and it wasn't until there was a second wife and then a long-time girlfriend reaching out to me, who was experiencing some weird things. I started to realize that he keeps getting away with it. It's a pattern now, it hasn't gone away.' 
   
   Colbie, whose maiden name is Paulson, met Porter at a Mormon church in 2000 while she was attending Wellesley to double major in American studies and political science. Porter was attending Harvard to study government. 
   
   Her first impressions were that he was 'charming and charismatic.' 
   
   'Rob is very intelligent – that's what drew me to him,' she said. 'We had a mutual interest in government and public policy. We seemed to be well paired. We got to know each other a little bit at church but he quickly asked me out and we became a couple. We became very serious, very quickly but it was rocky. 
   
   'He was never physical with me while we were dating and now I see there were red flags, left and right. He was verbally abusive and emotionally abusive all during that time, which I understand now, and we were fighting a lot. 
   
   'He would belittle me constantly about my weight, my sexiness, how good I looked to him or didn't look to him. 
   
   'He would always be checking out other women very obviously and would often compare me to other women. 
   
   'He was never physical with me while we were dating,' Colbie told DailyMail.com, 'and now I see there were red flags, left and right. He was verbally abusive and emotionally abusive all during that time, which I understand now, and we were fighting a lot 
   
   Colby told DailyMail.com: 'I remember crying all through my wedding day, not sure if I wanted to go through with it. But we were already over in England, everybody had flown over there and it was a very high-pressure situation for a 23-year-old and so I went through with it' 
   
   Says Colbie: 'We were arguing and he punched me in the face. He left visible marks when he punched me and I have pictures of that. I didn't go the police because I was scared, I was in Italy alone and I didn't know what to do.' 
   
   Holderness said that she never went to the police in the U.S. because she did not think that she would be believed 
   
   'Our relationship went on for three years until I graduated from college and then we got married two weeks later.' 
   
   The wedding was in June 2003 at New College Chapel in Oxford, England where Porter was attending as a Rhodes scholar. 
   
   Consistent with the practice of past administrations, issues related to an individual's suitability are reviewed through a thorough and lengthy background check process. Background checks involve a complex investigation run by intelligence and law enforcement agencies. As has always been our policy, we do not comment on security clearances. Rob Porter has been effective in his role as Staff Secretary. The President and Chief of Staff have full confidence in his abilities and his performance. Sarah Sanders, Febraury 7 
   
   Holderness said: 'I remember crying all through my wedding day, not sure if I wanted to go through with it. But we were already over in England, everybody had flown over there and it was a very high-pressure situation for a 23-year-old and so I went through with it. 
   
   'But he was never physically abusive until our honeymoon and that floored me.' 
   
   The incident happened after the couple had arrived on their honeymoon in the Canary Islands. 
   
   Holderness said: 'It was a really odd thing that he did. He was angry because we weren't having sex when he wanted to have sex and he kicked me. 
   
   'It seems such a juvenile thing at the time, but I remember thinking about words my mother had told me when it happened. 
   
   'She had passed away before I graduated from college. She told me that she had once warned my father that if he ever hit her, she would leave him. 
   
   'My father never did anything like that because he's a very good man – but I remember those words passing through my head right after Rob kicked me. I was thinking, 'What do I do? I just got married.' 
   
   'It was a kick which, although it hurt, was ridiculous at the same time. That was the first time he hurt me and then the doors opened. I didn't do anything and it continued.' 
   
   Jennifer Willoughby, the second wife of President Trump's staff secretary Rob Porter, spoke on the record to DailyMail.com about her abusive marriage 
   
   The physical abuse escalated from there. 
   
   Holderness, who has remarried, said: 'In a sense I couldn't believe it was happening to me – I was a well-educated woman, he was well-educated man, we came from good families. It just didn't seem real, I think I was in denial. 
   
   'At times, the way he would be physically violent with me was very odd. He would throw me down on the bed, then put his full body weight on top of me, then grind a knee or elbow into my body, expressing rage. 
   
   'It was scary but it wasn't like it was life-threatening. For years, I would go to Mormon bishops and I would try to find the words to explain what was going on but I was at a loss beyond the explanation that he got physical with me.' 
   
   The violence escalated to where Porter was choking his wife. 
   
   'It was not hard enough for me to pass out but it was scary, humiliating and dehumanizing,' she said. 
   
   'It wasn't until I went to a secular counsellor at my work place one summer and told him what was going on that he was the first person, and not a male religious leader, who told me that what was happening was not okay.' 
   
   While on a vacation in Florence, Italy, a couple of years after they married, Holderness said that Porter punched her in the face. 
   
   Utah senator walks back support of Trump aide accused of wife-beating Rob Porter, who resigned his position on February 7, 2018 as White House staff secretary, initially received strong backing from his former boss, Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, following accusations that Porter was abusive toward one of his ex-wives. But that support seemed to evaporate when the second ex came forward with photos that she said showed a black eye Porter gave her. Porter was Hatch's chief of staff from March 2014 until he came to the White House on Inauguration Day. In an exclusive statement to DailyMail.com on February 6, Hatch said that it was 'incredibly discouraging to see such a vile attack on such a decent man. Shame on any publication that would print this — and shame on the politically motivated, morally bankrupt character assassins that would attempt to sully a man's good name.' Utah Senator Orrin Hatch softened his support for Rob Porter in the hours between his first statement of solidarity and Porter's resignation from the White House 'I know Rob. I've known him for years, both as a close friend and as a personal advisor,' Hatch continued at the time. 'He is kind and considerate towards all.' 'The country needs more honest, principled people like Rob Porter, which is why I hope that this cynical campaign to discredit his character ultimately fails.' Less than 15 hours later, however, after DailyMail.com published the black-eye photos and Porter resigned his position, Hatch backpedaled and said he didn't know what Porter may have done in the years before he knew him. 'I am heartbroken by today's allegations,' Hatch said in a statement to reporters. 'In every interaction I've had with Rob, he has been courteous, professional, and respectful. My staff loved him and he was a trusted advisor.' I do not know the details of Rob's personal life. Domestic violence in any form is abhorrent and unacceptable. I am praying for Rob and those involved,' he said. White House Chief of Staff John Kelly hasn't wavered in his support for Porter, whom he reportedly urged to stay. In a statement to DailyMail.com on February 6, he said that 'Rob Porter is a man of true integrity and honor and I can't say enough good things about him.' 'He is a friend, a confidante [sic] and a trusted professional. I am proud to serve alongside him.' White House Chief of Staff John Kelly complained in October 2017 that women were no longer held as 'sacred' in America, but as the Porter scandal unfolded he called the accused spousal abuser 'a man of true integrity and honor' But in October 2017 the retired U.S. Marine Corps general lectured the White House press corps, complaining that women were no longer 'sacred' in America. 'When I was a kid growing up, a lot of things were sacred in our country,' he said then. 'Women were sacred and looked upon with great honor.' 'That’s obviously not the case anymore, as we see from recent cases.' Kelly spoke just days after the #MeToo movement took off with sexual abuse allegations against the now-disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein. Statements from White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders also semed to evolve as the story grew in intensity and Porter was forced out. 'I have worked directly with Rob Porter nearly every day for the last year and the person I know is someone of the highest integrity and exemplary character,' Sanders said on February 6. 'Those of us who have the privilege of knowing him are better people because of it.' In her office after she announced Porter's resignation, Sanders said that 'of course' the Trump White House condemned domestic violence of any kind. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders insisted that 'of course' the administration condemns domestic violence of all kinds, but wouldn't commit to whether she believes Porter or his two ex-wives Sanders wouldn't, however, say that the White House sided with Porter's ex-wives or believed their accounts of his behavior. 'It's not a matter of "believe" or "don't believe",' she told DailyMail.com, straddling both sides of what had become a heated dispute between a trusted colleague and the women who claimed he abused them. 'I hurt for anyone who's experienced anything like that – I haven't – in whatever degree. But at the same time I can only talk about my personal experience and interactions,' she said. 
   
   Colbie, here with her current husband, confirmed that she had also been interviewed by the FBI about her marriage after Porter was tapped for his current White House position and required security clearance which he has not received 
   
   'We were arguing and he punched me in the face. He left visible marks when he punched me and I have pictures of that. I didn't go the police because I was scared, I was in Italy alone and I didn't know what to do.' 
   
   Holderness said that she never went to the police in the U.S. because she did not think that she would be believed. 
   
   'I did move out several times because of the abuse. We spent big chunks of our marriage apart. I would keep going back until enough was enough. I could feel myself slipping away as a person.' 
   
   She said that others had seen the warning signs but not realized the depth of abuse that she was going through. 
   
   'Speaking to friends and family later, it was clear to people that Rob had a temper. He would be very cruel and mean but he was never physically abusive towards anybody else and no one saw it happen to me. 
   
   'He knew he had me in a vulnerable position and he could behave that way in private. But he was smart enough and careful enough to never behave that way in public but people did see his anger issues at various times.' 
   
   'During the first year of the marriage we were in England and then I took in a job back in Idaho in my home state and was so relieved to get away. He would visit me there but I just remembered thinking that the job would give me the space and distance to think. We both went back to graduate school at Harvard and were living upstairs from his parents, who were masters at Dunster House. 
   
   'We were living up in the old servants quarters during the first year of graduate school and the abuse continued. So I moved out the next summer and got my own place for the entire second year of graduate school. 
   
   Rob Porter and Hope Hicks were seen smiling and laughing over drinks as they enjoyed each other's company at Rosa Mexicano in Washington D.C., hours before they went home together 
   
   Colbie, as her black eye was healing and Colbie today. She has remarried and says it took her years to recover her confidence and sense of self. 
   
   'Then he talked me into coming back after that year so I moved back in with him. 
   
   'He would insult my intelligence because he knew that was important to me and it is important to him. He would call me a 'f***ing idiot', say 'you are so stupid, you are so dumb, you cannot do anything.' 
   
   'I was so distraught and my confidence was so broken that part way through the second year of my graduate program I had to take a leave of absence, go to all my professors and tell them that my marriage was a nightmare and I needed more time to compete my degree and essentially dropped out of school. 
   
   'I did finish it after the divorce and I had recovered a bit. I was just broken and its taken me years to recover my confidence and sense of self. 
   
   'Pretty shortly after that I cut off all contact with him [Porter] and really haven't talked to him since – with a few exceptions. He would track me down occasionally until I finally had to mail a letter to his parents and say, 'please leave me alone I've asked nicely – it's going to be a problem if he doesn't.' 
   
   'Rob might be a bit a monster but he's very smart. I think he knew that was a liability for him if he continued with that behavior. He's not that obsessive.' 
   
   On Tuesday, DailyMail.com spoke with Porter's second ex-wife, Jennifer Willoughy. They were married from 2009 until 2013. 
   
   Willoughby, 39, said she was 'walking on eggshells' during their marriage due to his explosive anger. 
   
   The public speaker and writer claims that on December 22, 2010, Porter pulled her naked from the shower by the shoulders and yelled at her. She refused to join his family on a vacation after that. 
   
   Willoughby said : '[It happened] just after our first anniversary. I cannot remember what the fight was about but I excused myself in a way that was typical at that time. I certainly was not meek and mild and said, 'I'm not going to fight you anymore' and stormed off and went to take a shower. 
   
   'He was not done fighting with me. It was a glass shower door, he opened it and dragged me by my shoulders out of the shower to yell. Immediately upon seeing my reaction to that, he released me and apologized but it doesn't take away that he was angry enough that that happened.' 
   
   The couple had married over Thanksgiving 2009 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They took a short honeymoon over the Christmas break in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina where Willoughby said he verbally abused her. 
   
   She said: 'I can't remember what triggered it. He lashed out and was really angry and both under his breath and explicitly to me called me a 'f***ing b***h' and 'f***ing ridiculous'. He accused me of not caring about him or his needs. 
   
   During the taxi ride the secret lovers could be seen cuddling in the back seat. One eyewitness said Porter could be seen kissing Hope's neck 
   
   Hope exits the taxi while Rob pays for the ride before they both enter her D.C. apartment at the end of the evening 
   
   '[The honeymoon] was spent with me trying not to make him upset.' 
   
   She added: 'In the first weeks and months, his explanation for his anger was that his first marriage had been very toxic, rooted in arguments, accusations and manipulation and he was carrying over from that relationship. 
   
   'He would say that he was so used to being treated this way by his ex-wife that he was projecting that on to me. That was the explanation.' 
   
   Several months into the marriage, Willoughby filed a protective order with a court in Alexandria, Virginia, after Porter violated their temporary separation agreement. 
   
   A police complaint, filed on June 19, 2010, states that Porter punched the glass on the door to their home, cutting his hand in the process at which point she called the police. He then left and following that she filed a temporary protective order. 
   
   Willoughby said: 'My experience of our entire marriage was being with a man who could be both charming and romantic and fun - and even thoughtful and kind; and horribly angry and manipulative. 
   
   'It was the duality of both of those things existing at the same time and not necessarily knowing what in his life would trigger the anger; or what in his life would draw out the kindness and the chivalry. That's a crazy-making space for a spouse to be in, that I somehow have no control over the quality of my relationship. 
   
   'The terminology is 'walking on eggshells' – you don't know which man is going to walk in the door. Or you don't know what seemingly innocuous comment is going to be interpreted differently. 
   
   'I had a friend's daughter over to carve pumpkins for Halloween and he sulked and pouted and didn't join us. And of course after she left, he was angry – 'why would I have someone over, why would you help her [my friend] out when she could be doing this herself?' There was no rational explanation as to why that would make him angry at that particular moment.' 
   
   Willoughby said that she felt manipulated throughout the marriage. 
   
   WHY I STAYED by Jennifer Willoughby: Rob Porter's second ex-wife reveals why she stayed in their 'abusive' marriage On April 24, 2017, Jennifer Willoughby wrote a blog about her marriage, but she did not name Porter. Willoughby tells DailyMail.com that Porter called her last year and demanded she take down her blog posts. The first time he called me a 'f*****g bitch' was on our honeymoon. (I found out years later he had kicked his first wife on theirs.) 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. We bought a house to make up for it. Just after our one year anniversary, he pulled me, naked and dripping, from the shower to yell at me. Everyone loved him. People commented all the time how lucky I was. Strangers complimented him to me every time we went out. But in my home, the abuse was insidious. The threats were personal. The terror was real. And yet I stayed. Jennifer Willoughby When I tried to get help, I was counseled to consider carefully how what I said might affect his career. And so I kept my mouth shut and stayed. I was told, yes, he was deeply flawed, but then again so was I. And so I worked on myself and stayed. If he was a monster all the time, perhaps it would have been easier to leave. But he could be kind and sensitive. And so I stayed. He cried and apologized. And so I stayed. He offered to get help and even went to a few counseling sessions and therapy groups. And so I stayed. He belittled my intelligence and destroyed my confidence. And so I stayed. I felt ashamed and trapped. And so I stayed. Friends and clergy didn't believe me. And so I stayed. I was pregnant. And so I stayed. I lost the pregnancy and became depressed. And so I stayed. Abuse is indifferent to education level, socio-economic status, race, age, or gender. And no one can ever know the dynamics of another's relationship. My cycle continued for four more years. Afterward, I let go and welcomed the hard work of healing and forgiveness. My experience made me stronger and able to love more deeply. But my heart breaks for him. In the end, who is the real victim of his choices? 
   
   'He's very intelligent, extremely good with his words and is a lawyer by profession and is able to take words that I had said and use them in a way that it would confuse me as to what I meant,' she told DailyMail.com. 
   
   'He would challenge my intelligence or a statement that I had made by implying that I couldn't have possibly come up with it on my own and that I must have been influenced by someone. 
   
   'I would start to doubt myself. He was using words against me. It was his norm in dealing with behavior he didn't like.' 
   
   Willoughby said that she still believes that Porter was a capable of his White House role as staff secretary, a close aide to President Trump. 
   
   'I want to be very clear when I say this,' Willoughby said. 'I don't want to be married to him. I would not recommend anyone to date him or marry him. But I definitely want him in the White House and the position he is in. I think his integrity and ability to do his job is impeccable. And the majority of the issues he suffers from are very personal and intimate.' 
   
   Willoughby said that she never saw Rob take his anger out on other people - 'not even road rage' – but that it was all behind closed doors. 
   
   'That was something that was interesting to me, from a case study perspective. It does seem to be very much focused in an intimate, romantic relationship. It's almost as though the anger that could have been placed on his father was placed on the romantic partner.' 
   
   'Fairly soon after New Year in 2010, I started seeing a therapist and requested that Rob see a therapist because I was so distressed about his anger,' she revealed. 
   
   'I also had met with a bishop in the Mormon Church about his anger. It came to a head and in February or March 2010. I was so worn down and exhausted by the anger that I requested we have a separation. 
   
   'I never received specific threats from Rob, he was just often angry and it was oppressive. I started to take on the blame and the weight of his lack of self-worth. 
   
   'Over the course of the years of our marriage, I can think of several times where I was collapsing on the ground in tears and saying, ''just leave me alone, just stop'' because the anger and the insults were too much. 
   
   Willoughby told DailyMail.com that she had a miscarriage at six weeks pregnant towards the end of their marriage. 'The stress of being pregnant in that marriage was hard and then the shame and depression of not being pregnant anymore was also hard,' she said 
   
   '[He would say] that I was worthless, that I was a liar. This is not one instance, these are things that he might have said in a rage. That I always got my way, that I was selfish, that I didn't care about him, about his needs. Any version of those types of statements, heard enough times, with enough force behind them are devastating.' 
   
   She had a miscarriage at six weeks pregnant towards the end of their marriage. 
   
   'The stress of being pregnant in that marriage was hard and then the shame and depression of not being pregnant anymore was also hard,' she said. 
   
   The couple divorced in 2013 after several trial separations and attending counselling and therapy. 
   
   Since her marriage ended, she left her job as a high school science teacher and has become a full-time writer, educational speaker and motivational coach. 
   
   She had written a number of blog posts referring to her marriage - but not using names. 
   
   Willoughby told DailyMail.com that Porter called her last year and demanded she take down her blog posts that referred to their marriage. 
   
   He asked her what she had told the FBI about their relationship during her interview with the agency over his security clearance in February 2017. 
   
   Willoughby also told DailyMail.com that she received a message from Porter's previous girlfriend, before Hicks, telling her that Rob was considering hiring a private investigator to look into her and 'employ' a journalist to write about her. 
   
   DailyMail.com could not reach Porter's ex-girlfriend for comment. 
   
   Porter is a Massachusetts-born Harvard graduate who went to the Ivy League school with presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner. 
   
   He also went to Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and spent two years as a Mormon missionary in London. 
   
   Before being tapped to join the new administration, he had been chief of staff for veteran Utah Senator Orrin Hatch. He has also worked for Republican senators Rob Portman of Ohio and Mike Lee of Utah. 
   
   His job has been described as one of the most important in the Oval Office as he, working with Chief of Staff John Kelly, controls the information that reaches the president. 
   
   'Porter, a little-known White House aide who has avoided getting caught up in any of the West Wing drama that has plagued the administration for the better part of seven months, serves to review everything before it makes it to the president's desk,' Business Insider wrote in September. 
   
   'Given how the president has shared dubious information at times when aides have presented him with reports from less-than-credible sources, Porter's role has an outsized importance,' the paper added. 
   
   'Talk to people who worked with him in the past, and they'll repeatedly mention his intelligence, experience, and team-first attitude.' 
   
   Porter was seen opening the door as the couple returned to Hope's D.C. apartment after their dinner 
   
   The couple's time at Hope's apartment after dinner comes after they were seen at a church service in early January and prayed together even though they come from different religions. Porter is a Mormon while Hicks is Roman Catholic 
   
   His father, Roger Porter, was an aide to President George H.W. Bush. 
   
   Hope Hicks, 29, and Porter had doing their best to keep their romance under wraps when they were spotted together with friends at low-key restaurant Rosa Mexicano near downtown Washington two weeks ago. 
   
   They did not show any sign of affection and did not sit next to each other at the restaurant. 
   
   But the moment they got in the cab to go back to Hicks' D.C. apartment they started cuddling and kissing in the back seat. 
   
   As soon as the taxi took off they both moved from their sides of the cab to the middle. Rob was kissing Hope's neck all the way home,' an eyewitness to the red-hot White House couple said. 
   
   Porter had been living with a willowy blonde political appointee, sources say before he began dating Hicks. 
   
   Public records document that the woman was living in his apartment in Arlington, Virginia. 
   
   The woman split with Porter around Thanksgiving, a White House source tells DailyMailTV exclusively. 
   
   Senator Orrin Hatch, commented: 'It's incredibly discouraging to see such a vile attack on such a decent man. Shame on any publication that would print this—and shame on the politically motivated, morally bankrupt character assassins that would attempt to sully a man's good name. 
   
   'I know Rob. I've known him for years, both as a close friend and as a personal advisor. He is kind and considerate towards all. The country needs more honest, principled people like Rob Porter, which is why I hope that this cynical campaign to discredit his character ultimately fails.'
target: – Influential White House staff secretary Rob Porter resigned Wednesday in the wake of reports he physically abused two ex-wives, reports that he maintains are "vile" and "simply false." The claims come via Colbie Holderness (who married Porter in 2003) and Jennifer Willoughby (who married him in 2009). The Washington Post reports White House staffers knew vaguely of the situation as of late 2017, but only heard the alleged details when contacted Tuesday by a reporter from the Daily Mail, which first reported the women's story. But Holderness and Willoughby say they did tell the FBI what happened in January 2017. "I thought by sharing my story with the FBI he wouldn’t be put in that post," Holderness says, explaining that she voiced concerns he could be blackmailed because of the number of people who knew about her situation.