CNN's New Day host Chris Cuomo talked to the Daily Beast's John Avlon about the fact that someone accused of domestic abuse was permitted to stay in an important position without the highest security clearance.
"He put out a secondary statement but he said, 'Allegations of domestic abuse have no place in the administration.' And there was a suggestion," Cuomo said.
KELLY: "I was shocked by the new allegations released against Rob Porter. There is no place for domestic violence in our society. I stand by my previous comments of the Rob Porter that I have come to know since becoming chief of staff, and believe every individual deserves the right to defend their reputation. I accepted his resignation earlier today, and will ensure a swift and orderly transition."
"So here's the problem, John," Cuomo said to Avlon.
"This is what they do. We're going to deal with it later today. They get something wrong or they don't like a story. They either call it fake news or they lie. Now, I am not accusing chief of staff John Kelly of mendacity. But if they knew, he is in trouble both ways. So you really didn't know. but the FBI knew in 2017 and you are supposed to be the head. Or you did know and you're lying. Either way is not good," Cuomo said.
"The tone comes from the top. Unfortunately we have a president -- it gets filtered through from the top. John Kelly is the guy who's supposed to have installed professionalism in this White House. There has been improvement. When you go from insane to crazy, that's not reassuring. I think what we're confronting, It looks like the White House counsel did know about the domestic violence. But they were not confronted with public photos and they therefore chose to overlook it. That is really serious. Really serious," Avlon said.
