John -

Last week, CREW sued the Trump administration for records of John Kelly’s communications about Caliburn International, a company that runs child detention centers. Kelly joined Caliburn’s board in May after he left the Trump administration.

That’s the same John Kelly who pushed the “zero tolerance” policy that filled those detention centers with immigrant children when he worked at the Department of Homeland Security and as Chief of Staff at the White House.

It’s not the first time we’ve sued the Trump administration—not even close. But this lawsuit illustrates exactly what is at stake when we talk about government corruption.

Kelly is on the board of the company that runs the only for-profit facilities that are being used to detain children who were separated from their families at the border. That means that Kelly stands to profit from a government policy that he helped implement. That looks like a classic example of how the revolving door spins between government and the companies it is supposed to regulate.

The public has a right to know whether Kelly used his position in government to advocate for his financial interests, so we’re suing the Department of Health and Human Services to find out.

CREW is in a unique position to take legal actions to hold members of the government to account. There’s far too much we don’t know about what goes on behind the scenes, but we will fight everyday to bring information to light about the use of government positions for private gain.

Thank you for joining CREW in the fight for accountability,

Noah Bookbinder
Executive Director, CREW