White House chief of staff John Kelly took a shot at the White House press corps in a lengthy interview aired by NPRNews Friday.

“When I was working in the Pentagon at a higher level, senior level the Pentagon press corps were really good to work with. I mean they, they seldom wrote or did the story you wanted to read, naturally, but they were really professional in trying to get the accurate aspect of every story,” Kelly recounted, adding “it wasn’t personal. It was pretty professional. And I still call some of them … good acquaintances. This is vastly different. This is — it’s personal, it’s vicious.”

Kelly relayed an anecdote from a reporter he encountered who told him “Look you were our worst nightmare. This place was a clown show before you showed up. We didn’t think this president would last a year [or] 18 months. Now that you’re here, there’s order to the place. The leaks all but went away. So, sorry but you got to go.”

The chief of staff has joked in the past with President Donald Trump about using a sword on the press corps at an event for the Coast Guard.