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Hope Hicks at the Center of Controversy Surrounding Ex-Trump Aide Rob Porter

It's not the first time Hicks' love life has made headlines.

Top Trump aide Hope Hicks has found herself at the center of the domestic abuse scandal that's rocking The White House. 

President Trump's trusted communications director was photographed leaving her apartment last month in the company of Rob Porter, who resigned under pressure Wednesday after his two ex-wives alleged that he beat them.

“There is one aspect of this story that can’t be ignored — Porter and the communications director of the White House, Hope Hicks, are romantically involved,” CBS News' Major Garret told Inside Edition. “Hicks played a significant role initially in drafting the statements defending Porter. Did that overtake facts? Did it overtake judgment? Did it overtake a sense of what this story might mean and the repercussions of it?"

It's not the first time Hicks' love life has made headlines. The 29-year-old former model also reportedly dated a married man —Trump's first campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, according to Fire and Fury author Michael Wolff. Lewandowski denies an affair took place.

"The allegations made against Rob Porter, as we understand them, involved incidents long before he joined the White House," Principal Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah said Thursday during the daily press briefing. 

Shah took the podium in place of Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who was reportedly on vacation.

Shah said that President Trump's chief of staff, John Kelly, only became aware of allegations against Porter Wednesday. 

Porter's ex-wife, Jennie Willoughby, is speaking out on-camera for the first time, telling The Washington Post the abuse began on their honeymoon in 2009 and escalated right after their one-year anniversary.

“He came and he grabbed me by the shoulders, here, and pulled me out of the shower in a rage,” she said. 

The Washington Post's Aaron Blake spoke to Inside Edition about the scandal. 

“There are going to be plenty of questions about this going forward and why the White House chooses to stand by this man who was accused of very serious things,” he said. 

Porter has denied the allegations brought forth by his ex-wife, calling them "outrageous" and "simply false." 

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