palace intrigue
John Kelly reportedly wants to quit
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly increasingly struggles to wrangle President Trump and has verbally threatened to quit his job, The Washington Post reported Saturday, citing accounts from 16 unnamed administration officials.
"I'm out of here, guys," Kelly reportedly said, though the Post's sources differed on whether the remark should be interpreted as "a resignation threat" or an announcement that he was "leaving work an hour or two early to head home." They agreed, however, that Kelly is frustrated with his position and resultant loss of credibility.
A separate story at Axios offered a similar account Saturday, reporting that "Kelly blew up at Trump in an Oval Office meeting" in late March, "and while walking back to his office muttered he was going to quit." Kelly's arrival in the West Wing was greeted as a shift toward order and normalcy, but Trump reportedly ignores his input on many issues.
Trump denied the Washington Post report on Twitter early Sunday, labeling it "just another hit job."