Fox & Friends Grills White House Spox Over Trump’s Defense of Rob Porter: ‘Right, But He Hasn’t Said That’
Fox & Friends interviewed White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley on Monday morning, and grilled him on why President Donald Trump has not publicly condemned former senior aide Rob Porter, who resigned after both of his ex-wives accused him of domestic abuse.
Brian Kilmeade brought up an Axios story, by Jonathan Swan, which reported that Trump has said in private that he believes the allegations made against Porter, and has called the former staff secretary “sick.” In public remarks, however, Trump has spoken warmly about Porter, and has made no mention of his alleged victims.
“Why wouldn’t [Trump] say that publicly, or do you think Jonathan Swan is wrong?” Kilmeade asked Gidley of the report.
“I have not spoken to the president about this,” Gidley responded, borrowing a favorite crutch from press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
“The president has been very clear, that all forms of abuse, all forms of battery against women are deplorable and disgusting –”
“But he hasn’t said that,” Kilmeade interjected.
“Right but you haven’t talked to him today,” Gidley explained. “You’re talking about sources that I can’t verify because I haven’t had that conversation with him.”
Gidley added that in previous conversations Trump has said he finds abusers “disgusting.”
Fox & Friends host Ainsley Earhardt then suggested Gidley “get together” with Huckabee Sanders “and advise him — this is an opportunity when he can come out against domestic violence, and those pictures are horrific.”
“They were absolutely,” Gidley said. “But the president has been out against domestic violence for a long time.”
“The president thinks that domestic violence is grotesque, he’s said that on multiple occasions, there’s no place for it in this country, there’s no place for it in this White House, and the president won’t stand for it.”
Watch above, via Fox News.
[image via screengrab]
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