White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter’s resignation has been shocking for two reasons; the photos of one of his ex-wives with a black eye, and the fact that the abuse allegations were no secret to some in the White House. Both Porter’s ex-wives report a pattern of abuse. His second wife, Jennie Willoughby spoke to CNN’s Anderson Cooper last night.
Cooper: “You had said that 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. That’s what it felt, terror.”
Willoughby: “It was a low-grade constant terror of not knowing what I might do to set something off. What mood he would have.”
Later in the interview, Cooper addressed Porter’s current relationship with White House Communications Director Hope Hicks:
Cooper: Rob Porter is now in a relationship with the White House Communications Director Hope Hicks. Do you think he’s changed?
Willoughby: “I don’t think he’s changed.”
Cooper: “Does that worry you?”
Willoughby: “It worries me for a lot of reasons. I mean, it definitely worries me because, if I’m being frank with you, if he hasn’t already been abusive with Hope, he will. And particularly now that he’s under a lot of stress and scrutiny. That’s when the behaviors come out. If he hasn’t already, he will. “
Watch the full interview above.