White House staffers walked away from that session believing Kelly was asking them to lie. Kelly, meanwhile, has blamed the White House communications operation for mishandling the fallout. As he does periodically, Trump has been quizzing informal friends and advisers about possible replacements for Kelly. Standing by KellyDespite multiple aides blaming him for the bungled response, the White House was standing by Kelly as of Wednesday morning. Asked if Trump has confidence in his chief of staff, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said "Yes."

Source: CNN February 14, 2018 16:27 UTC