WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House has pushed back against rumors of a staff purge and insisted that reports of tumult and imminent departures are overblown.

Chief of Staff John Kelly, himself the subject of rumors that his days are numbered, assured a group of staffers their jobs were safe, at least for now.

But days after President Donald Trump's secretary of state was ousted, many close to the president think more upheaval is coming soon.

Several staff members, from national security adviser H.R. McMaster to Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, and even Kelly himself, have been feeling the heat.