FBI/LEGAL/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation said his agency first flagged issues with its background check of Rob Porter to the administration in March, a timeline that conflicts with what the White House said it knew about the former aide’s past.
Mr. Porter resigned last week amid accusations that he physically abused two ex-wives. He has denied the allegations.
Director Christopher Wray told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday that the FBI last year gave multiple updates to the White House on its findings about Mr. Porter. After sharing a partial report on Mr. Porter in March, the FBI provided its completed background check on Mr. Porter to the White House in July, Mr. Wray said. The White House asked follow-up questions, he said, and the FBI provided answers to those in November… The FBI is responsible for conducting background checks on White House officials, but the decision on whether to issue a clearance rests with the White House.
Mr. Wray’s timeline strayed from the sequence of events offered by White House officials, who have said repeatedly in recent days that the FBI’s investigation into Mr. Porter was ‘ongoing.’
The White House has sought to shift the focus away from its handling of domestic-abuse allegations against Mr. Porter, facing criticism for allowing the aide to remain in his influential position inside the president’s inner circle.”
-Michael C. Bender, Rebecca Ballhaus, and Peter Nicholas, “FBI Director’s Timeline of Porter Probe Contradicts White House,” The Wall Street Journal online, Feb. 13, 2018 01:31pm