Rob Porter's second ex-wife warns Hope Hicks he'll hurt her, too
Jennie Willoughby, one of former White House staff secretary Rob Porter's ex-wives, told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Thursday she's concerned about the safety of Porter's current girlfriend, White House Communications Director Hope Hicks, and "if he hasn't already been abusive with Hope, he will be."
Willoughby and Porter's first wife, Colbie Holderness, both came forward this week accusing Porter of verbal, emotional, and physical abuse, with Holderness sharing a photo of herself with a black eye, which she said she received from Porter while on a 2005 vacation. Porter resigned on Wednesday, calling the allegations "outrageous" and "simply false."
During her interview with Cooper, Willoughby, who married Porter in 2009 and divorced him in 2013, called her ex-husband a "troubled man with issues that needs help." He began belittling her within the first two weeks of their marriage, and it escalated, with him eventually grabbing her while she took a shower and punching through the glass in her front door. By the end, Willoughby said, she was in "constant terror of not knowing what I might do to set something off." But while they were dating, he was "quite charming and chivalrous and romantic," she said, and it took her awhile to realize she was in an abusive relationship.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
That led Willoughby to Hicks. "I don't think he's changed," she said, adding, "If he hasn't already been abusive with Hope, he will. Particularly now that he's under a lot of stress and scrutiny; that's when the behaviors come out." She said she doesn't think he's done "the self-reflective work to acknowledge this issue," and "hasn't really taken the time to deconstruct why it is that he behaves this way, and until he's able to do that, I don't know that he has control over it." Watch the video below. Catherine Garcia
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
The Nutcracker: English National Ballet's reboot restores 'festive sparkle'
The Week Recommends Long-overdue revamp of Tchaikovsky's ballet is 'fun, cohesive and astoundingly pretty'
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Congress reaches spending deal to avert shutdown
Speed Read The bill would fund the government through March 14, 2025
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - December 18, 2024
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - thoughts and prayers, pound of flesh, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published