JOHN KELLY/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The White House said Thursday [2-8-18] it could have better handled the domestic-abuse allegations that led to the resignation of staff secretary Rob Porter, as the president’s chief of staff faced mounting questions about how he dealt with the accusations…
Scrutiny focused on chief of staff John Kelly, who worked closely with Mr. Porter and was aware of abuse allegations, according to White House officials. Mr. Shah said Thursday that Mr. Kelly became ‘fully aware’ of the allegations Wednesday.
When accusations from both of Mr. Porter’s ex-wives were first published on Tuesday, Mr. Kelly offered a full-throated defense of Mr. Porter, who had become one of Mr. Kelly’s most trusted aides in an increasingly small circle of West Wing staff. Mr. Kelly then issued a second statement Wednesday night saying he was ‘shocked’ as more details of the allegations emerged.
One White House official said that Mr. Kelly has known about allegations against Mr. Porter for months. Mr. Shah said that Mr. Kelly didn’t know the extent of the allegations until Wednesday, when photos of Colbie Holderness, Mr. Porter’s first wife, were published showing a black eye that she said she sustained during a vacation with Mr. Porter in Italy…
President Donald Trump became aware of the allegations on Tuesday, Mr. Shah said. The president was saddened by the accusations of abuse, Mr. Shah said. Mr. Trump continues to have full confidence in Mr. Kelly, he said… Mr. Kelly then agreed to have a statement released in his name based on that conversation. The official said Mr. Kelly was misled by Mr. Porter in that discussion.”
-Michael C. Bender and Peter Nicholas, “White House Offers Regrets About Handling of Rob Porter Allegations,” The Wall Street Journal online, Feb. 8, 2018 10:93pm