‘Total BS’: John Kelly Comes Out Swinging After Report He Called Trump an ‘Idiot’

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly pushed back hard Monday on a report stating that he called President Donald Trump an “idiot” on several occasions.

According to an NBC News report:

White House chief of staff John Kelly has eroded morale in the West Wing in recent months with comments to aides that include insulting the president’s intelligence and casting himself as the savior of the country, according to eight current and former White House officials.

The officials said Kelly portrays himself to Trump administration aides as the lone bulwark against catastrophe, curbing the erratic urges of a president who has a questionable grasp on policy issues and the functions of government. He has referred to Trump as “an idiot” multiple times to underscore his point, according to four officials who say they’ve witnessed the comments.

NBC published the report at 4:14 p.m. EDT. Less than an hour later, Bloomberg reporter Jennifer Epstein tweeted Kelly’s fiery response to the story, which he called “total BS.”

“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 BS. 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,” Kelly said.

[Image via screengrab]

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