John Kelly jokes about becoming White House chief of staff: 'God punished me'

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly made a joke about his job being a punishment from God, reports The Hill.

The remark was made on Thursday during an event marking the 15th anniversary of the Department of Homeland Security.

“The last thing I wanted to do was walk away from one of the great honors of my life, being the secretary of Homeland Security, but I did something wrong and God punished me, I guess,” Kelly said.

Since moving to the Oval Office about eight months ago, Kelly has found himself immersed in a number of highly publicized controversies. Most recently, such reports have involved Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser.

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Kushner, who has likely been privy to highly classified information, has had difficulties obtaining a permanent security clearance.

Kelly announced not long ago that all individuals who’d applied for permanent permissions prior to June but had yet to receive them would lose access to classified information, notes CBS News.

President Trump tasked Kelly with deciding whether Kushner would be given a waiver. Kelly opted to not do so, and Kushner’s clearance has been downgraded, according to CNN.

The already strained Kelly/Kushner relationship is said to have worsened.

CNN reports that, according to an inside source, Kushner sees Kelly’s decision as a direct attack and has been asking fellow White House workers, “Why is John Kelly doing this?”

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