'I'm Extremely Disappointed': GOP Women Frustrated With Party's Handling of Abuse Scandals

WASHINGTON – The White House and the FBI are at odds over information about a top aide accused of domestic violence.

The FBI says it first delivered news about former staff secretary Rob Porter's background last March and closed the case last month, but the White House claims the investigation was ongoing and it only learned of the accusations last week.

Porter resigned last week after his ex-wives, Colbie Holderness and Jennifer Willoughby, came forward with allegations of abuse.

Some media outlets published a photo of Holderness with a black eye.

White House speechwriter David Sorensen also left the White House last week after his ex-wife, Jessica Corbett, said she had been physically abused.

Both men deny the allegations.

President Donald Trump further complicated the situation when he tweeted about the growing number of men being accused of misconduct while noticeably omitting any mention of victims.  

"People's lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation. Some are true and some are false. Some are old and some are new," he tweeted.

That response is frustrating Republican women as the party struggles to attract and maintain female voters.

"It's difficult being a Republican woman to have to fight through that all the time," Republican West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said.

Appearing on CNN, Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst added,"I'm extremely disappointed in this situation. Abuse is never okay."

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) agreed, saying the White House needs to do a better job of screening employees.

“Clearly we should all be condemning domestic violence,” the Wisconsin lawmaker said. “If a person who commits domestic violence gets into the government, then there is a breakdown in the system – there is a breakdown in the vetting system and that breakdown needs to be addressed.”

Winning women voters has been a long-fought battle for the GOP and there are signs having President Trump as the party's leader may complicate that struggle.

A Marist College survey this month shows Democrats leading 21 percentage points among women in the midterm elections.

A Monmouth University poll at the end of January shows Democrats up by 13 percent.

Both polls showed about 60 percent of women surveyed disapprove of Trump.

"Every single time the president tries to excuse a man who has assaulted women, it makes it harder and harder for our candidates to run credible campaigns," said Jennifer Horn, former New Hampshire Republican chairwoman.

While the president has stayed mostly quiet about the fact that two men accused of domestic violence were serving as his top aides, the top women in his administration have come out publically against violence, including White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

"Above everything else, he supports the victims of any type of violence, and certainly would condemn any violence against anyone," Sanders told reporters this week.