Rep. Trey Gowdy, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent letters to the FBI and White House on Wednesday as his panel opened an investigation into the matter. House Speaker Paul Ryan was asked Wednesday about how the White House has handled the Porter allegations, and whether President Donald Trump needs to publicly condemn domestic violence. Several senior officials, including chief of staff John Kelly and White House counsel Don McGahn, were aware of the broad allegations against Porter for months, officials said. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Monday, “The White House had not received any specific papers regarding the completion of that background check.” Yet Wray testified that the FBI sent the White House its preliminary report in March 2017 and its completed investigation in late July. The White House approach has drawn criticism even from Trump’s own party.

Source: thestar February 14, 2018 14:00 UTC