In the wake of the mishandling of former White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter’s history of domestic abuse, sources close to Donald Trump have revealed that not only is the president looking to replace chief of staff John Kelly, but Kelly has reportedly indicated that he would be willing to resign from his position.
One source told ABC News that Tom Barrack—a longtime friend of the president’s and former executive chairman of his inaugural committee—was approached to gauge his interest in the position, but Barrack said that he would not take the job.
The president is apparently dissatisfied with the way the West Wing has handled the situation surrounding Porter—who, despite multiple allegations of domestic abuse against him, was allowed to get a position in the White House.
When the Daily Mail reported the allegations against Porter, Kelly issued a statement on the record calling him “a man of true integrity and honor.” At the time, Kelly made no mention of the alleged victims.
Later, when photographic evidence of the alleged abuse was released, Kelly walked back his original statement and said that he was “shocked by the new allegations” and that “there is no place for domestic violence in our society.”
Kelly was reportedly already on the president’s bad side after saying in a Fox News interview last month that Trump’s campaign promises for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border were “uninformed.” He was publicly rebuked by Trump after making that statement.
Whether or not Kelly will actually be replaced remains to be seen, but for now, everyone in the White House is continuing to keep up appearances.
Kelly was at work in the West Wing on Friday, and he even joined Trump for a photo op in the Oval Office on Friday afternoon.
Kelly has often been referred to as the “responsible adult” in the White House, but his statements after the Porter reveal leave a lot to be desired. They show a lack of integrity.
And you know you have to be really fucked up if even Trump is like, “Nah, you gotta go.”
We will have to wait and see what happens.