WASHINGTON -- White House Chief of Staff John Kelly knew before news reports this week that President Donald Trump's staff secretary had issues in his past that could impede him receiving a permanent security clearance, people familiar with the matter said.
A deputy chief of staff, Joe Hagin, was concerned that Trump aide Rob Porter, who is accused of domestic violence, hadn't yet passed a background check more than a year into his tenure and briefed his boss, Kelly, the sources said. Porter continued in his high-level job while his bosses waited for the conclusion of the staff secretary's security clearance investigation, the people said.
Kelly and Hagin didn't know the specific allegations against the staff secretary, the sources said. Kelly asked Hagin a few weeks ago to dig deeper into why there had been delays in background checks of certain key staff members, including Porter.
The Porter that Kelly and other top staff members saw every day at the White House was considered excellent at his job and cordial to his colleagues.
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"Kelly became fully aware about these allegations yesterday," Deputy White House press secretary Raj Shah told reporters Thursday at the White House. "I'm not going to get into specifics about who may have known what pieces of information."
The episode is a staffing embarrassment for Trump and could threaten Kelly's standing in the White House, some say. Several aides and White House advisers expressed disgust, and said Kelly had failed the president if he knew about Porter's history with Porter's ex-wives and didn't inform Trump.
Kelly has written a letter to White House employees seeking to allay their concerns.
"I want you to know that we all take matters of domestic violence very seriously. Domestic violence is abhorrent and has no place in our society," Kelly said in the letter, which was released by a White House official Thursday night. "We understand the shock, pain and confusion that these allegations have caused in our workplace."
Early Wednesday, Kelly issued a complimentary statement on Porter but that evening Kelly said he "was shocked by the new allegations released today [Wednesday]. There is no place for domestic violence in our society."
Trump didn't know about Porter's history with the two ex-wives before Tuesday, when the DailyMail.com approached the White House with details of an interview with one of the women, two White House officials said.
"He was saddened for all of the individuals involved," Shah said.
Porter announced Wednesday that he would resign but would not leave the White House immediately. Realization about the seriousness of the abuse allegations grew within the White House after The Intercept published an interview with a second ex-wife and a photo of what she said was a black eye inflicted by Porter.
Porter denied both of the ex-wives' allegations. His last day at the White House was Thursday.
"The allegations against Rob Porter are serious and deeply troubling," Shah said. "He did deny them. The incidents took place long before he joined the White House."
Porter served as a clearinghouse for paperwork moving in or out of the Oval Office. Few aides had greater access to the Oval Office or spent more time in the president's company. He also played a vital role in helping Kelly try to establish order in the White House.
Trump didn't mention Porter when he gathered with lawmakers, members of the military and former Vice President Dick Cheney at the White House on Tuesday evening to watch the movie 12 Strong. Porter's situation wasn't discussed in the White House's senior staff meeting Wednesday led by Kelly, but it was addressed in smaller groups, aides said.
Allegations of domestic violence can be grounds for the government to deny security clearances. Yet Porter had sat in on meetings of the National Security Council where top-secret matters were discussed, according to three people familiar with the situation. Someone in his position would have had an interim clearance while the FBI conducted a background check, according to one official.
Senior staff members at the White House apply for five-year security clearances, and the process can be lengthy -- some current officials are still waiting, aides said. Porter never received a permanent clearance, and his background investigation was ongoing when he resigned, Shah said.
All of the officials interviewed for this article requested anonymity to discuss a personnel and national security matter.
Porter's ex-wife, Jennifer Willoughby, told the DailyMail.com that he had difficulty controlling his anger and at one point pulled her out of the shower and yelled at her. She took out a protective order against him after he reportedly violated a separation agreement and punched through glass in the door of their home, cutting himself, she said. The website published a copy of the order.
Porter's other ex-wife, Colbie Holderness, provided a brief statement to DailyMail.com alleging that Porter had abused her, but the website didn't detail her claims. The Intercept published its interview with Holderness on Wednesday.
The Intercept published a picture of Holderness with a black eye. She told the publication that Porter punched her while they were on vacation.
Porter called the allegations "outrageous" and "simply false." In a statement, he said he had taken the pictures that Holderness provided to The Intercept and that "the reality behind them is nowhere close to what is being described."
Kelly's first statement on Porter complimented him without mentioning the allegations.
"Rob Porter is a man of true integrity and honor and I can't say enough good things about him," Kelly said. "He is a friend, a confidante and a trusted professional. I am proud to serve alongside him."
Several White House aides said Wednesday that Kelly's statement was a mistake. But Kelly has leaned heavily on Porter since becoming chief of staff in July and considers Porter a close and trusted confidant, they said.
Information for this article was contributed by Margaret Talev and Ari Natter of Bloomberg News.
A Section on 02/09/2018