White House speechwriter David Sorensen resigned Friday following allegations of physical and emotional abuse from his ex-wife, Jessica Corbett, making him the second staffer last week to leave President Donald Trump’s administration over domestic violence allegations.
Corbett’s story, first reported by The Washington Post, has been overshadowed by the domestic abuse allegations from two ex-wives of former White House staff secretary Rob Porter, as the White House offers convoluted talking points for explaining its handling of the allegations and the larger issue of violence against women.
“He has thrown me into a wall. He has put a cigarette out in my hand,” Corbett told NBC News in an interview that aired Tuesday morning.
Sorensen “made me drive around for hours, wondering where I would go, with no money, to beg people for cash so I could come home,” she continued.
Corbett stressed that she did not seek the spotlight and did not intend to harm Sorensen professionally.
“I wasn’t out to get him. I was not trying to get him denied this job by telling the truth. I do very much believe that he is one of the best and most capable people at what he does professionally,” she said.
According to the Post, Corbett had contacted the paper a week before allegations against Porter became public through reporting by The Daily Mail and The Intercept.
In a statement issued by the White House, Sorensen denied Corbett’s allegations. He claimed to the Post that “in fact, I was the victim of repeated physical violence during our marriage, not her.”
Meanwhile, White House officials have continued to cast doubt on whether they believe accusers in cases of domestic abuse, as well as sexual misconduct. In addition, they have offered shifting explanations on their handling of Porter’s allegations, like confusion over basic facts on what they knew and when.
On Monday, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters multiple times that “the president and the entire administration take domestic violence very seriously,” yet would not say whether Trump believed the accusations.
In a tweet over the weekend, Trump complained that “lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation.” When asked about Porter on Friday, he told reporters that “it’s a tough time for him.”