Kelly Denies Calling Trump An ‘Idiot,’ Says Report Is ‘Pathetic Attempt To Smear People’

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly on Monday denied that he said President Donald Trump is an “idiot,” calling an NBC News story “total (lies).”

Kelly’s statement came about 45 minutes after NBC News published a report that described a number of fights between Trump and his embattled chief of staff. The outlet reported that Kelly often tells senior aides that they have to save the president from himself and his impulses – and that Trump does not understand policy.

“He doesn’t even understand what DACA is. He’s an idiot,” Kelly told White House aides, according NBC News, which cites two White House officials present for the meeting.

“I spend more time with the President than anyone else and we have an incredibly candid and strong relationship. He always knows where I stand and he and I both know this story is total (lies),” Kelly said in a statement released by the White House press office. “I am committed to the President, his agenda, and our country. This is another pathetic attempt to smear people close to President Trump and distract from the administration’s many successes.”

(c) 2018, The Washington Post · Josh Dawsey 

{Matzav.com}