Trump 'shocked' by allegations against aides: White House

The White House insisted Sunday that Donald Trump was "shocked and disturbed" by allegations of domestic abuse that led two staffers to resign, after the president faced flak for saying lives were being ruined by possibly false claims.

Kellyanne Conway, a senior adviser to Trump, said the president pushed the two staffers out the moment he saw credible evidence against them.

Other top White House aides similarly supported Trump's handling of the latest controversy to upend his administration.

"I think the president, like the rest of us, were shocked and disturbed by the allegations," Conway said on ABC's "This Week."

Trump is said to be annoyed by the focus on the latest White House turmoil, especially as it comes on the eve of his release of a major infrastructure spending initiative.

"So many positive things going on for the U.S.A. and the Fake News Media just doesn't want to go there," he tweeted Sunday. "Same negative stories over and over again."

Conway said the job of White House Chief of Staff John Kelly was not in jeopardy over his handling of the matter. Critics say he badly mishandled the situation, possibly even exposing one of the ousted aides to the risk of blackmail.

Asked about Trump's tweet on Saturday that lives were being "shattered and destroyed" by allegations that are sometimes false, Conway told CNN's "State of the Union" that there was "no reason not to believe the women."

Yet Trump made no mention of the ex-wives of the two former staffers, or of the alleged abuse, and his response has drawn widespread criticism from his opponents.

Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said the president had again shown a total lack of empathy for victims of abuse.

"The lives of survivors of sexual assault and domestic abuse are being shattered every day," she wrote on Twitter.

"The President has shown through words and actions that he doesn't value women. It's not surprising that he doesn't believe survivors or understand the national conversation that is happening."

But Conway insisted the president is "a man who shows great compassion and understanding for women."