The Robert Porter mess is still plaguing the White House. Fired White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci took a jab at chief of staff John Kelly today over his handling of the Porter debacle.
“Based on FBI testimony, WH Chief of Staff John Kelly almost certainly knew about credible allegations of domestic abuse against Rob Porter at least 6 months ago – then recently forced others to lie about that timeline. Inexcusable. Kelly must resign,” the Mooch wrote on Twitter.
Porter, who was successfully pressured into resigning earlier this month, allegedly abused multiple ex-wives and a former girlfriend. The accusations are vivid and grotesque; they paint Porter as a rage monster who treated the women he supposedly loved as his punching bags.
FBI director Christopher Wray testified Tuesday that the agency completed a thorough background investigation in Porter last July.
Kelly, however, pretended that “his background investigation was ongoing. He was operating on an interim security clearance. His clearance was never denied, and he resigned.”
Wray’s testimony directly contradicts the White House’s story. Either the FBI is lying, or Kelly is.
Wray testified that “the FBI submitted a partial report on the investigation in question in March, and then a completed background investigation in late July… soon thereafter we received requests for follow-up inquiry, and we did the follow-up and provided that information in November.”
People are incensed that a violent abuser like Porter was able to hold a senior White House position.
“His background investigation was ongoing,” deputy press secretary Raj Shah said last Thursday.
“In this instance, in the case of Rob Porter, we relied on the background check investigative process. That process hadn’t been completed, so we were relying on the information that we had.”
If that explanation is false, and director Wray’s testimony seems to prove that it is, then what really happened? Scaramucci may be right, perhaps Kelly should resign.
(Source: Daily Caller)