White House staff secretary Rob Porter announced his departure from the Trump Administration this week. Porter’s announcement comes after published allegations of abuse from his two ex-wives.
Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, appearing on NBC’s "Meet The Press" on Sunday morning, was asked about his faith in John Kelly as White House Chief of Staff.
"Well I think the way the White House said that they could have handled the situation better, that’s a bit of an understatement,” Flake said. “Yes, they could’ve done a lot better, particularly with the Rob Porter situation."
Flake added that not showing any concern or empathy for victims of abuse is a big problem. He said it’s something he believes the President needs to correct.
This week, President Donald Trump also used the word “treasonous” to describe Democrats who didn’t clap for him during his State of the Union Address last month.
When asked about those comments, Flake said the President needs to watch his words.
"I think the President stops- needs to stop calling Democrats or Republicans or others who don’t stand or applaud every line that he has- that they’re un-American,” Flake said. “He also used that term or treasonous. Words matter."
Flake reiterated that Trump’s use of the words "fake news" encourages other authoritarians around the world to call any opposition or real dissent fake news.
He was also asked about a bill on immigration. Flake said despite his past disagreements with Trump, he believes progress can be made.
"If we put a good bill to the President that has the support of 65, 70 members of the senate, the President will accept it and the House will like it as well,” Flake said. “By definition, if we can get something with support of 65 to 70 senators or maybe more, it’s going to be a good, broad bill."
Flake added that some changes need to be made to the current framework. He said legal immigration cannot go down significantly if the U.S. is going to have a productive workforce.
