After a tumultuous week, one question remained about White House Chief of Staff John Kelly after his handling of the staff secretary Rob Porter debacle that lead to Porter's resignation: Will he stay or will he go?
Despite the widespread press criticism of Kelly for permitting Porter to take the position while the FBI investigated claims of spousal abuse by the staff secretary, indications were strong that Kelly would stay on as Trump’s right hand.
Asked by Newsmax on Friday whether there would be any major resignations announced over the weekend, principal deputy press secretary Raj Shad replied without hesitation: “I have no personnel announcements.”
There were published reports this weekend that Kelly had offered his resignation to Trump and even discussion of Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney as a possible successor. But the president reportedly declined Kelly’s offer.
Mulvaney will be available to the White House press corps Monday as he spells out the details of the president’s budget for fiscal year 2019.
“Kelly will probably stay but with this White House, anything can happen,” historian Chris Whipple, author of a book on chiefs of staff, told me.
“You could say the job has become a poisoned chalice,” is how one journalist in the European Press described the president’s chief of staff position.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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