Notable nuggets from John Kelly’s White House
WASHINGTON – John Kelly’s 17 months in the White House as the president’s chief of staff had its ups and downs.
Kelly, a former Marine general, was brought in by President Donald Trump to help quell the chaos within his administration that often spilled into public view.
His tenure, though, was marked by frequent firings and internal turmoil, along with a tense relationship between him and the president. For months, it has been rumored that Kelly would soon leave the White House, and on Saturday the president announced Kelly would be stepping down at the end of the December. Trump also said he would announce a replacement for Kelly soon.
Here are of few key moments from Kelly’s tenure within the administration:
On Day 1, he fired Scaramucci
Kelly got the ball rolling quick. In his first day on the job, he fired communications director Anthony Scaramucci.
Scaramucci lasted only 10 days in the White House and was ousted days after an expletive-filled interview with The New Yorker in which he verbally assaulted Reince Priebus, the president’s former chief of staff, and Steve Bannon, who at the times was Trump’s chief strategist.
Kelly made clear that he was there to help organize the White House and bring a more militarized approach to running the administration.
He helped Bannon out the door
Kelly also helped orchestrate Bannon’s departure.
Bannon was an architect of Trump’s campaign and had the president’s ear but frequently clashed with other members of the staff on trade, immigration and other policy issues.
Bannon’s departure was announced in August 2017, a month after Kelly began work in the White House.
He denied calling Trump an ‘idiot’
Kelly strongly denied news reports in April that he had called Trump “an idiot” and threatened to resign.
“I spend more time with the President than anyone else and we have an incredibly candid and strong relationship,” Kelly said in a statement. “He always knows where I stand and he and I both know this story is total BS.”
He supported Rob Porter
When domestic abuse allegations surfaced about former White House aide Rob Porter, Kelly offered a glowing statement on Porter’s character, calling him a “man of true integrity and honor.”
Soon, however, photos surfaced of Porter’s ex-wife with a black eye, and allegations of abuse mounted. Media reports were examining when the White House was aware of the allegations and why Porter still had access to classified information.
Kelly said Porter had denied the allegations. Later, after Kelly issued a statement defending Porter, he learned of the photos and allegations of physical abuse.
‘We’re in Crazytown’
The release this fall of Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward’s book “Fear” was packed with the contents of closed-door conversations in the Trump administration. But one quote, in particular, got a lot of attention.
“He’s an idiot. It’s pointless to try to convince him of anything. He’s gone off the rails. We’re in Crazytown. I don’t even know why any of us are here. This is the worst job I’ve ever had.”
Trump issued a series of statements and took to Twitter with statements from members of his administration – who all denied what was quoted in the book, including Kelly’s quotes.
His Omarosa firing was recorded
Kelly was tasked with firings at the White House, but during one of those firings he was being secretly recorded. Omarosa Manigault Newman, the reality show star who followed Trump into the White House as an adviser, secretly taped her conversation with Kelly and other officials when she was brought into the Situation Room to be dismissed.
The tape sparked security concerns and questions of how Manigault Newman was able to get a cellphone and secretly record in the Situation Room, which is supposed to be one of the most sensitive and secure places in the United States.