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Utah Senator Orrin Hatch has come under fire after defending Rob Porter, his former chief-of-staff who resigned as White House staff secretary Wednesday over allegations that he abused his two ex-wives.
The latest: After initially backing away from his defense of Porter, Hatch said Porter was a "very good man" who should "fight on" rather than step down.
The timeline:
- Yesterday, Hatch released a fiery statement defending Porter and disparaging news outlets for publishing the allegations, which he called a "vile attack on such a decent man."
- Today at 2 p.m., in a statement released by the White House, Hatch called all domestic violence “abhorrent and unacceptable,” and offered prayers for everyone involved.
- The Latest According to NBC News’ Frank Thorp, Orrin called Porter a “very good man” and urged him not to resign:
“I told him he shouldn’t (resign)...he should fight his way through this, and he’s got a lot to give to the administration and to all of us.... I know Rob, he’s a very fine fellow and very good man, and it’s been a tremendous embarrassment to him. But he’s going to hang in there I think.”