Trump reportedly muses about bringing Rob Porter back to the White House

AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

Rob Porter, left, and Donald Trump.

• President Donald Trump has mused about bringing his embattled staff secretary, Rob Porter, back to the White House.
• Porter left the Trump administration in February amid accusations that he abused his ex-wives.
• Trump previously defended Porter amid the allegations. "He says he's innocent," Trump said when asked about the matter on February 9.
• The president is known to keep in touch with former advisers. He is said to be looking for safe spaces as his administration experienced record turnover.

President Donald Trump has remained in contact with Rob Porter, his embattled former staff secretary, and has mused about bringing him back to the White House, according to a report from The New York Times published on Monday.

The newspaper cited three people familiar with Trump's thinking who said the president had spoken to Porter more frequently in recent weeks while his administration was engulfed by mounting scandals and record turnover. Trump reportedly said he missed "the staff structure Mr. Porter helped build and implement," The Times' Maggie Haberman wrote.

Porter was forced out of the West Wing in February, following allegations that he abused his two ex-wives.

The women are: Colbie Holderness, who shared a picture of a black eye she says she received from Porter, and Jennifer Willoughby, who said she lived in "constant terror" during her marriage to Porter.

Despite the bombshell claims, several White House officials initially defended Porter. Chief of staff John Kelly called him "a man of true integrity and honor" early in the scandal. The White House would later admit that it handled the situation poorly.