Former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus denied ever knowing White House staff secretary Rob Porter was having trouble obtaining a permanent security clearance due to domestic violence allegations.
Priebus said on ABC’s “This Week” he wasn’t aware Porter was facing accusations of domestic violence from two of his ex-wives. When those accusations became public, Porter — who was working on an interim security clearance — was forced to resign.
“None, none at all,” Priebus said, when asked if he had any ideaPorter was having trouble getting his clearance because of the issue.
“That is something that hadn’t reached me from White House security or White House Counsel’s Office,” he said.
Federal officials were reportedly told in January 2017 that Porter had been accused of abusing his former wives, but it’s unclear who in the White House knew what and when they knew it.
Current White House chief of staff John Kelly said he found out about it after a press inquiry in early February 2018 and Porter resigned the night he found out about the allegations. However, the White House released multiple statements praising Porter and reportedly people were urging him to stay in the White House the day after the story broke.
Priebus said the staff culture in the White House can be toxic because staffers often go to the media in order to get their message out.
“Leaking against each other is something that’s terrible, and it’s distracting,” he said.
