Senator: Kelly Should Exit If He Tried to Cover up Porter Abuse Claims

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly should be forced out if he knew about – and covered up – domestic allegations against a former top aide to President Donald Trump, a Democratic senator told CNN Thursday.

Appearing on CNN’s "New Day," Sen. John Tester, D-Montana, said Kelly must be "held accountable" for his actions regarding former top Trump aide Rob Porter.

"I have no use for anybody who beats his spouse, none whatsoever," Tester told New Day anchor Chris Cuomo. "He (Porter) should have been shipped out the door months ago, as soon as they found out about it. And if the White House knew about it months ago, shame on them."

Tester added: "If John Kelly is covering this up, he needs to be held accountable. He has to justify what he did, why he did it and he better have a really good reason. Otherwise, he's gone, too." Such a decision would be up to Trump.

CNN has reported that some top Trump aides – including Kelly – knew for months that two of Porter’s former wives had alleged that he had abused them. Porter denied the allegations, but he resigned Wednesday.

Kelly initially suggested he was unaware of the allegations against Porter, but later issued a statement condemning domestic abuse.

Related stories:

• CNN: WH Knew About Porter's Abuse Allegations Months Ago
• White House Aide Rob Porter Resigns After Allegations of Spousal Abuse