Chief of staff John Kelly reportedly “blew up” at President Trump and threatened to quit his position late last month.
Sources familiar with the situation told Axios that Kelly exploded at Trump during an Oval Office meeting on March 28, and muttered threats to quit while walking back to his office.
One senior White House official told Axios that Kelly was “venting frustration,” and referring to his comments as a threat was “probably too strong.”
Sources told Axios that the comments were not related to the firing of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, which occurred the same day. Sources also said that other officials, including Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen, came to calm Kelly down.
Kelly also reportedly began packing up personal belongings, according to Axios.
The report comes just days after The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump ignored Kelly’s recommendation to fire Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Scott Pruitt, who has been embroiled in a series of scandals related to spending.
{mosads}Trump has come to Pruitt’s defense following reports that the EPA administrator stayed in a condo owned by the wife of a lobbyist for well under market value, and that his agency spent millions of taxpayer dollars on a 20-person, full-time security detail.
Trump has in the past reportedly considered firing Kelly and serving as his own chief of staff.
It was reported earlier this year that Kelly has frequently threatened to quit as a means of leverage to get Trump to listen to him.
Sources also told The Hill earlier this month that Kelly’s influence appeared to be fading in the West Wing.
The Axios report comes after a string of high-profile firings and departures in the Trump White House, including Shulkin, the VA secretary, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and national security adviser H.R. McMaster.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.