Second White House official resigns over domestic abuse claims

Washington D.C. [USA]: In another major blow for the United States President Donald Trump administration, a second White House official has resigned suddenly after being accused of domestic abuse.

White House speechwriter David Sorensen resigned on Friday after his former wife, Jessica Corbett, claimed that he was "violent and emotionally abusive" during their 2.5 years of marriage, The Washington Post reported.

However, Sorensen denied the allegations, saying that he was the "abuse victim in the relationship."

"Before we were contacted by the media, we learned last night that there were allegations. We immediately confronted the staffer, he denied the allegations and he resigned today," White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah said in a statement.

Sorensen alleged that Corbett punched him on multiple occasions. In one such incident, he said that he attempted to leave in his car and she ran after him as he was pulling away, injuring herself in the process.

In another incident, Corbett allegedly grabbed the steering wheel as Sorensen drove on a highway and punched him in the face during an argument.

After resigning, Sorensen added that he did not want the White House to deal with such "distractions" and had consulted with an attorney and was "considering legal options to address her defamation." The couple formally divorced in September last year.

Sorensen, a former adviser to Maine Governor Paul LePage, joined the Trump administration last year.

On Wednesday, White House staff secretary Rob Porter had resigned following allegations of abuse from his two former wives, Colbie Holderness and Jennifer Willoughby.

Porter denied the allegations against him saying in a statement, "These outrageous allegations are simply false."