By AFPMore by this AuthorWASHINGTON,White House Chief of Staff John Kelly firmly denied a report Monday that he called President Donald Trump an "idiot" in front of other staff — the latest suggestion of possible tensions in Trump's inner circle. NBC News, citing eight current and former White House officials, said Kelly — a retired Marine general who served as Trump's homeland security secretary before moving to the West Wing — had called Trump an "idiot" several times. This is another pathetic attempt to smear people close to President Trump and distract from the administration's many successes." In October, NBC had reported that then secretary of state Rex Tillerson — who was fired by Trump in March — had called the president a "moron" in front of colleagues. After the release in January of "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," a tell-all book about the infighting within the administration, Tillerson defended Trump's mental fitness.

Source: Daily Nation May 01, 2018 06:11 UTC