Aides Call BS on John Kelly’s Version of Rob Porter Scandal
COME AGAIN?
Chief of staff claims he immediately axed aide accused of wife-beating.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly claimed in a staff meeting on Friday morning that he took immediate action against Rob Porter, the Washington Post reported, but some staffers found Kelly’s version of events to be untrue. Kelly said he started the process of removing Porter “within 40 minutes” of after finding domestic abuse allegations against him were credible. Staffers present “expressed disbelief with one another,” the Post said. Kelly defended Porter to the Daily Mail on Tuesday night after it presented claims of physical abuse by Porter's ex-wives. Kelly privately fought for Porter to keep his job as staff secretary on Wednesday, after a photo surfaced of Porter's first wife showing a bruised eye, which she claims was the result of Porter punching her in the face.
Senior White House aide Rob Porter physically assaulted two ex-wives, they tell @theintercept. Full story to come in the morning.
His first wife, Colbie Holderness, provided these photos from a vacation they took together in Florence, Italy: pic.twitter.com/tl3TbyGA8Y