After President Trump made the decision to fire then-FBI Director James Comey in May, many people were caught off guard. One of those people? Newly installed chief of staff and former Marine General John Kelly, who called Comey after his firing and reportedly said he was so upset with Trump’s decision that he was considering resigning from his position as the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
The sources who spoke to CNN said they were unsure of how serious Kelly was about resigning several months ago, but that he was not happy about the way the saga played out and how Comey had been treated. “John was angry and hurt by what he saw and the way (Comey) was treated,” they said. Comey learned he was fired from a news broadcast while meeting at the FBI field office in Los Angeles and had to call Washington to confirm his dismissal:
Comey, who took Kelly’s call while traveling back from Los Angeles to Washington, responded to Kelly by telling him not to resign, one of the sources said.
The sources said Comey and Kelly are not close friends but that they had a professional relationship and a deep mutual respect for each other.
Earlier Monday, before Kelly was sworn in as the new chief of staff, President Trump tweeted that there was no “chaos” in his White House.
Highest Stock Market EVER, best economic numbers in years, unemployment lowest in 17 years, wages raising, border secure, S.C.: No WH chaos!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 31, 2017
(Via CNN)