Orrin Hatch Walks Back Statement Slamming ‘Vile Attack’ on WH Aide: ‘Domestic Violence… Is Abhorrent’ [UPDATE]

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) is walking back his fiery comments from Tuesday denouncing reports of domestic violence against White House senior aide Rob Porter as a “vile attack.”

In a new statement released via the White House, the Utah Senator — who formerly had Porter serve as his chief of staff — struck a very different tone than he did 24 hours earlier.

Rob Porter was Orrin Hatch’s former chief of staff.
Tuesday: Statement from Hatch (via White House) says it was “incredibly discouraging to see such a vile attack on such a decent man”
Today’s Hatch statement says he is heartbroken and didn’t know about abuse allegations. #utpol pic.twitter.com/4RDUkl6r8P

— Natalie Andrews (@nataliewsj) February 7, 2018

Compare that to the Tuesday comments backing Porter and condemning the Daily Mail‘s report on domestic violence accusations levied against the White House aide by his ex-wife, Jennifer Willoughby.

“It’s incredibly discouraging to see such a vile attack on such a decent man,” Hatch said (via The Intercept). “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.”

Porter announced his resignation Wednesday, after a subsequent report from the Daily Mail detailing allegations from his first wife, Colbie Holderness.

[image via screengrab]

UPDATE 5:42 p.m. ET — Hatch may have just walked back his walk back. Frank Thorp of NBC News spoke to Hatch, who said the following:

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