President Trump’s chief of staff John Kelly defended the White House’s response to domestic abuse allegations against Rob Porter, a former top aide.
“No,” Kelly told The Wall Street Journal when asked if it should have been handled differently. “It was all done right.”
The chief of staff made the comments Monday — before FBI Director Christopher Wray undercut the White House’s account of how it responded to the allegations from Porter’s two ex-wives.
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Wray on Tuesday told the Senate Intelligence Committee the FBI first delivered a partial report on the allegations against Porter in a background check in March 2017, well before the White House said it knew about them.
Wray also told senators the FBI “administratively” closed its file on Porter in January, even though the White House has said the background check process for Porter’s security clearance was still ongoing.
Kelly has come under fire for initially defending Porter after the allegations surfaced and for reportedly urging staff to offer an inaccurate account of how the White House handled the situation.