Corey Lewandowski: Ex-Trump aide almost came to blows with John Kelly outside Oval Office, book claims
President’s former campaign manager lifts lid on White House tensions with one-time chief of staff
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump’s former chief of staff and campaign manager almost came to blows outside the Oval Office as their rivalry simmered over, a new book claims.
Corey Lewandowski revealed details of the dramatic incident in his new book written with David Bossie, Trump’s 2016 deputy campaign manager, called Trump: America First.
In the book Mr Lewandowski says that Mr Kelly disliked his close relationship with the president and flew into a rage after Mr Trump defended him at a 2018 meeting in the White House.
Mr Lewandowski says that tensions boiled over when he left the meeting and heard Mr Kelly, a retired four-star general, threatening to have him “thrown out my f***ing building.”
“Hey, John, last I checked this, isn't your building. It's the White House,’ the authors write in the book.
“Kelly turned and came running back into the outer Oval Office with his Secret Service protection in tow.
“He grabbed Corey with both hands and pushed him up against the Oval Office's outside wall.
“While pushing his hands away, Corey told him to get his f**king hands off of him or he'd call the DC police and have him arrested for assault.
“'Or we can just go outside and finish it out there,” Corey said. “Up to you, John.” Corey grew up in Lowell, Massachusetts. Going ‘outside’ with someone was his default setting.”
The pair then went into the empty office of Hope Hicks – then the president’s communications director and now counselor – where Mr Lewandowski told Mr Kelly he was in no position to make any accusations.
“What are you talking about?” John barked. “Two words,” Corey said. “Rob Porter.,” states the book, which was serialised by DailyMail.com.
Mr Porter, who was in a relationship with Ms Hicks, was forced to resign from his role as White House Staff Secretary after his two ex-wives made allegations of domestic violence.
The book will be published in October.
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