Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., had strong words for senior White House official Rob Porter amid allegations of spousal abuse by his two ex-wives.
“I don’t care who you are, even if you are a Rhodes scholar, you can’t beat the hell out of your spouse. It’s wrong,” Kennedy said on CNN Thursday.
Kennedy also criticized White House Chief of Staff John Kelly for keeping Porter on staff after revelations that Kelly allegedly knew about the allegations of misconduct for months.
“Sometimes good people make bad decisions,” Kennedy said.
However, Kennedy maintained his support for Kelly as White House chief of staff.
“I have complete confidence in Gen. Kelly … Just because he made a bad decision doesn’t mean he’s a bad person,” Kennedy said.
Porter announced his resignation Wednesday in light of the allegations being made public, but denied the reports, referring to them as a “smear campaign.”
“I will not further engage publicly with a coordinated smear campaign,” Porter said in a statement read by White House press secretary Sarah Sanders to reporters on Wednesday.
Sanders said Porter’s resignation would not be immediate to ensure a “smooth transition.”
Kennedy said, “Mr. Porter did the right thing,” in resigning his White House post.
