Kelly admits errors, defends himself in Porter matter
WASHINGTON — Defending himself weeks after the fact, White House chief of staff John Kelly on Friday insisted he had done “nothing to even consider resigning over” in his handling of domestic abuse allegations against a former top aide by the staffer’s two ex-wives.
Kelly did allow that the White House team did not “cover ourselves in glory” in its response to allegations against former staff secretary Rob Porter. Porter resigned last month over reports that he had abused his two ex-wives. The episode at one point seemed to put Kelly’s job in jeopardy and raised questions about who at the White House had access to top-secret information.
Weeks later, with the Porter matter largely in the rearview mirror, Kelly still was clearly intent on clarifying his role in how the matter was handled.
Kelly told reporters he first learned of the allegations against Porter on Feb. 6, after inquiries from journalists. Kelly said those first queries focused on an allegation of “emotional abuse” from one woman. He said he then spoke to Porter, who resigned. Hours later, Kelly said, he learned there was also an accusation of physical abuse. At that point, Kelly said, he made sure that Porter was out.
Originally, the White House put out statements defending Porter, including one from Kelly. Kelly said he provided a statement of support for Porter after he heard only the first accusation.
The White House did not announce Porter was leaving until a press briefing the next afternoon.
“We didn’t cover ourselves in glory in terms of how we handled that,” Kelly said. “It was confusing.”
Kelly described himself as shocked by the alleged abuse, saying he had viewed Porter as the “ultimate gentleman.”
Questions persist about the timeline. According to two White House officials, Kelly was made aware by White House counsel Don McGahn last fall of at least the broad outlines of the issues with delays in approving Porter for permanent security clearance.
Kelly said he had started looking into who had clearances and any delays in granting permanent clearances last fall. But he said he was not made aware of any specific allegations against Porter.