WAPO: WH Aides Doubt Kelly’s Explanation on Porter
“White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly on Friday morning instructed senior staff to communicate a version of events about the departure of staff secretary Rob Porter that contradicts the Trump administration’s previous accounts, according to two senior officials,” the Washington Post reports. “‘He told the staff he took immediate and direct action,’ one of the officials said, adding that people after the meeting expressed disbelief with one another and felt his latest account was not true.”
Both outside and even inside the White House, embattled chief of staff John Kelly is struggling to sell his version of event surrounding the dismissal of former staff secretary Rob Porter, who resigned after revelations that his ex-wives had told the FBI he abused them. Kelly was brought into Trump’s inner circle to provide a steady hand and, to some extent, he has, allowing fewer gadflies into the Oval Office and trying hard to bring order to the president’s notorious attention deficit. Along the way, however, Kelly has made enemies within the West Wing, and reports of his imminent firing have been circulating for months; Ivanka Trump was at one point reported to be seeking his replacement. This latest scandal not only embroils Kelly in controversy, it also calls into question his overall judgment and suitability for the job.
