The debacle has put White House Chief John Kelly in the hot seat at a time when President Donald Trump was already privately expressing frustration with his job performance, according to aides. | Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo Kelly to White House staff: We take domestic violence ‘very seriously’

White House chief of staff John Kelly said the administration takes domestic violence “very seriously” and told distraught employees “you are not alone” in an email to staff on Thursday night.

“While we are all processing the shocking and troubling allegations made against a former White House staffer, 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 wrote in an email obtained by POLITICO.


The memo comes a day after White House staff secretary Rob Porter announced plans to resign amid allegations that he verbally and physically abused his two ex-wives. Porter denies the allegations.

Kelly has come under criticism for his response to the revelations. He publicly defended Porter on the record for more than 24 hours only to release a new statement Wednesday night saying he was “ shocked ” by the news.

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Porter originally intended to stay on indefinitely to help ensure a smooth transition, but White House officials encouraged him to leave sooner as the firestorm grew. Porter's last full day was Wednesday and he cleared his stuff out of his office on Thursday afternoon.

Kelly and others in the White House had been broadly aware of the allegations against Porter for months. White House counsel Don McGahn and deputy chief of staff Joe Hagin had long been aware that there were issues with Porter's security clearance, according to people familiar with the issue. But a White House aide strongly rejected the notion that Hagin knew about the domestic abuse allegations, adding that he found out about them this week. McGahn was warned about Porter by Porter's ex-girlfriend late last year, as POLITICO first reported on Wednesday.

But White House officials were nonetheless slow to condemn Porter. Only after the Daily Mail and the Intercept published a photograph of one of Porter’s ex-wives with a bruised eye, which she said was the result of Porter punching her, did Kelly and others in the West Wing stop defending their former colleague.

The debacle has put Kelly in the hot seat at a time when President Donald Trump was already privately expressing frustration with his job performance, according to aides.

In Thursday’s email, Kelly also reminded staff that the White House offers counseling services through its human resources department.

“We understand the shock, pain and confusion that these allegations have caused in our workplace. It is important for me to tell you—- you are not alone. Resources are available here at the White House for anyone who is seeking counseling,” he said in the email, which he sent at 8:44 p.m.

