JOHN KELLY/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The furor over spousal abuse allegations that forced the resignation of one of President Trump’s top advisers last week has exposed fissures within the White House that had been papered over since John F. Kelly took over last summer as chief of staff with a mandate to end the dysfunction.
Aides to the president said they remained confused and upset over the handling of the accusations against Rob Porter, the staff secretary who stepped down. Days after his departure, the White House was still struggling on Sunday [2-11-18] to provide a consistent explanation of who knew what and when, even as questions swirled about whether anyone might be felled as a result.
While said to be frustrated with Mr. Kelly over this and other issues, Mr. Trump sought this weekend to tamp down talk that he would be pushed out, instructing an aide scheduled to appear on television to report that the president still had confidence in his chief of staff. But other advisers to Mr. Trump maintained that his staff had let him down and that someone else should be held accountable… Mr. Kelly privately told colleagues at the White House on Friday that he was willing to resign over his handling of Mr. Porter’s case if Mr. Trump desired, but presidential aides said no resignation was formally offered or drafted.”
-Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman, “Abuse Case Exposes Fissures in a White House in Turmoil,” The New York Times online, Feb. 11, 2018