John Kelly (White House chief of staff)

John Kelly
Basic facts
Organization:	Donald Trump presidential administration
Role:	Former Chief of staff
Location:	Washington, D.C.
Education:	University of Massachusetts

John Kelly is a retired four-star Marine general and former commander of U.S. Southern Command. He served as the White House chief of staff in President Donald Trump's (R) administration from July 2017 to December 2018. On December 8, 2018, Trump announced that Kelly would leave the position at the end of the year. In his announcement, Trump said, "I appreciate his service very much."

Kelly also served as secretary of homeland security in the Trump administration. The Senate confirmed Kelly as secretary of homeland security by a vote of 88-11 on January 20, 2017.

Career

Early life

Kelly joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1970 and was discharged two years later as a sergeant. After graduating from college in 1976, he rejoined the 2nd Marine Division. There, he served as a "rifle and weapons platoon commander, company executive officer, assistant operations officer, and infantry company commander," according to his profile on the website for the Department of Defense.

By 1980, Kelly was made captain and attended the U.S. Army's Infantry Officer Advanced Course at Fort Benning in Georgia. When he graduated, he was relocated to Marine headquarters in Washington, D.C. He acted as an assignment monitor from 1981 to 1984.

In 1984, Kelly left Washington, D.C., and returned to the 2nd Marine Division and took command of the rifle and weapons company. Three years later, he was promoted to major and was relocated to Basic School, Quantico, Virginia, where he was head of the Offensive Tactics Section, Tactics Group, and director of the Infantry Officer Course.

In 1990, Kelly attended Marine Corps Command and Staff College and the School for Advanced Warfare in Quantico. Following this, in 1992, Kelly was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and served as a commanding officer of the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton in California.

Kelly returned to Washington, D.C., in 1994 to attend the National War College, where he graduated in 1995. After graduation, he was promoted to colonel and was appointed Commandant's Liaison Officer to the U.S. House of Representatives.

In 1999, Kelly was sent to Belgium to serve as special assistant to the supreme allied commander in Europe.

Promotion to general

After a short stint at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, Kelly became a brigadier general and was deployed to Iraq. He returned to the U.S. in 2004 to serve as legislative assistant to the commandant in Washington, D.C. until 2007. Shortly thereafter, he was promoted, once more, to major general and was transferred to Camp Pendleton, before being deployed to Iraq in 2008.

Promoted to lieutenant general, Kelly took over the Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North in 2009. In 2011, he served as senior military assistant to the secretary of defense until 2012. In 2012, he joined the Department of Defense's United States Southern Command.

Retirement

He retired from Southern Command in 2016 and took an advisory role with the Homeland Security Advisory Council.

Secretary of Homeland Security

See also: Federal policy on immigration, 2017-2020

Confirmation vote

Nomination tracker
Candidate: John Kelly
Position: Secretary of Homeland Security
Confirmation progress
a	Announced:	December 12, 2016
a	Hearing:	January 10, 2017
a	Committee:	Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
d	Reported:
a	Confirmed:	January 20, 2017
a	Vote:	88-11

The Senate confirmed Kelly as secretary of homeland security by a vote of 88-11 on January 20, 2017. The following senators voted against Kelly's confirmation: Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

John Kelly confirmation vote, January 20, 2017
Party	Votes for a	Votes against d	Total votes
Democrats	35	11	46
Republicans	51	0	51
Independents	2	0	2
Total Votes	88	11	99

Border policy and security

• During an interview on April 16, 2017, with NBC’s Chuck Todd, Kelly discussed securing the border. He said, “Chuck, you really do have to secure the border somehow, first and foremost. The very, very, very good news is, for a lot of different reasons, the number of illegal aliens that are moving up from the south has dropped off precipitously. I mean we're down 65%, 70% in the last two months. These are the months that we should see a steep incline in illegal movement. It's down, as I say, by almost 70%.”

• When asked if he thought Trump’s rhetoric about getting tougher on border security contributed to the drop in illegal border crossings, Kelly said, “Well, certainly. … Absolutely. And some of the other things we've done on the border. I mean just my going down to the border on several occasions. You know that Jeff Sessions, the attorney general, was just down there. The attention being paid to the border certainly has injected into those people-- and the vast majority of them are good people from Central America. But it's injected enough confusion in their minds, I think, and they're just waiting to see what actually does happen.”

• On March 8, 2017, Kelly released a statement on a report that showed a decline in illegal border crossing. According to Kelly, "From January to February, the flow of illegal border crossings as measured by apprehensions and the prevention of inadmissible persons at our southern border dropped by 40 percent. The drop in apprehensions shows a marked change in trends. Since the Administration’s implementation of Executive Orders to enforce immigration laws, apprehensions and inadmissible activity is trending toward the lowest monthly total in at least the last five years. This change in the trend line is especially significant because CBP historically sees a 10-20 percent increase in apprehensions of illegal immigrants from January to February. Instead, this year we saw a drop from 31,578 to 18,762 persons - a 40 percent decline. This is encouraging news as in the period from Oct 1, 2016 to the Presidential inauguration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 157,000 apprehensions of illegal immigrants – a 35 percent increase over the previous fiscal year, with family units increasing by more than 100 percent. However, since President Trump took office on January 20, we have seen a dramatic drop in numbers."

• During an interview in November 2016, Kelly discussed Trump’s plan to build a Mexican border wall as one possible part of a border policy. Kelly said, “I think you have to have — we have a right to protect our borders, whether they’re seaward, coastlines, or land borders. We have a right to do that. Every country has a right to do that. Obviously, some form of control whether it's a wall or a fence. But if the countries where these migrants come from have reasonable levels of violence and reasonable levels of economic opportunity, then the people won’t leave to come here.”

• While speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee in March 2015, Kelly said, “I believe we are overlooking a significant security threat. Despite the heroic efforts of our law enforcement colleagues, criminal organizations are constantly adapting their methods for trafficking across our borders. While there is not yet any indication that the criminal networks involved in human and drug trafficking are interested in supporting the efforts of terrorist groups, these networks could unwittingly, or even wittingly, facilitate the movement of terrorist operatives or weapons of mass destruction toward our borders, potentially undetected and almost completely unrestricted.”

• During an interview in 2014, Kelly discussed the threat of "illegal drugs, weapons and people from Central America." He said, “In comparison to other global threats, the near collapse of societies in the hemisphere with the associated drug and [undocumented immigrant] flow are frequently viewed to be of low importance. Many argue these threats are not existential and do not challenge our national security. I disagree. ... All this corruption and violence is directly or indirectly due to the insatiable U.S. demand for drugs, particularly cocaine, heroin and now methamphetamines, all of which are produced in Latin America and smuggled into the U.S. along an incredibly efficient network along which anything – hundreds of tons of drugs, people, terrorists, potentially weapons of mass destruction or children – can travel, so long as they can pay the fare.”

Executive order temporarily suspending immigration from six countries

• On March 6, 2017, Kelly released the following statement after President Trump issued a revised executive order to suspend immigration from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen for 90 days: "The Executive Order signed today by President Trump will make America safer, and address long-overdue concerns about the security of our immigration system. We must undertake a rigorous review of our visa and refugee vetting programs to increase our confidence in the entry decisions we make for visitors and immigrants to the United States. We cannot risk the prospect of malevolent actors using our immigration system to take American lives. The Executive Order signed today is prospective in nature—applying only to foreign nationals outside of the United States who do not have a valid visa. It is important to note that nothing in this executive order affects current lawful permanent residents or persons with current authorization to enter our country. If you have a current valid visa to travel, we welcome you. But unregulated, unvetted travel is not a universal privilege, especially when national security is at stake."

Drug trade

See also: Federal policy on marijuana, 2017-2018

• During a speech on April 18, 2017, at the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at George Washington University, Kelly discussed the role transnational criminal organizations play in bringing drugs to the U.S. He said, "In 2015, which is the most recent data we have, there were 52,404 deaths in the United States caused by a drug overdose. It’s the highest number of drug-related deaths our country has ever seen. It’s more deaths than the peak of the AIDS epidemic in 1995. In a single year, we’ve lost nearly as many Americans to drug overdose as we lost in battle in World War I. Almost as many as was lost in 12 years in Vietnam. And that’s just overdose deaths. That number—as high as it is—says nothing about the long-term health damage to our citizens who survive, to say nothing about the human misery, the families ripped apart, and the extremes of crime and violence inherent in the illegal-drug enterprise."

• During the same speech he spoke about the need for a strategy to reduce the demand for drugs. He said, "We need a national and comprehensive drug demand strategy and commitment to reduce drug demand in the United States. A focused effort that not only employs the full resources of the federal-state-and local governments, but also Hollywood, professional sports figures and teams, high school coaches, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and community activists, as well as law enforcement like the FBI and DEA and their 'Chasing the Dragon,' documentary as well as priests, pastors, rabbis and imams that lead their flocks, and, finally, involved parents because it all starts at home. We have never had such a campaign against drugs. The time is now, and because the President recognizes this as a father and a grandfather he signed an Executive Order establishing the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, and we have significantly reduced drug demand we will have a more secure border."

• During a speech on April 18, 2017, Kelly clarified DHS' stance on marijuana, saying, "And let me be clear about marijuana. It is a potentially dangerous gateway drug that frequently leads to the use of harder drugs. Additionally, science tells us that it is not only psychologically addictive but can also have profound negative impact on the still developing brains of teens and up through the early 20s. Beyond that, however, its use and possession is against federal law and until the law is changed by the U.S. Congress we in DHS are sworn to uphold all the laws on the books. DHS personnel will continue to investigate marijuana’s illegal pathways along the network into the U.S., its distribution within the homeland, and will arrest those involved in the drug trade according to federal law. CBP will continue to search for marijuana at sea, air and land ports of entry and when found take similar appropriate action. When marijuana is found at aviation checkpoints and baggage screening TSA personnel will also take appropriate action. Finally, ICE will continue to use marijuana possession, distribution and convictions as essential elements as they build their deportation / removal apprehension packages for targeted operations against illegal aliens. They have done this in the past, are doing it today, and will do it in the future."

• On April 16, 2017, during an interview with Chuck Todd on NBC’s Meet the Press, Kelly was asked if legalizing marijuana would help or hurt the drug war. He said, “[M]arijuana is not a factor in the drug war.” He said that other drugs were more problematic. He said, “It's three things. Methamphetamine. Almost all produced in Mexico. Heroin. Virtually all produced in Mexico. And cocaine that comes up from further south. Those three drugs result in the death of i [sic] think in '15, I think, of 52,000 people to include opiates. It's a massive problem. 52,000 Americans dead. You can't put a price on human misery. The cost to the United States is over $250 billion a year. The solution is not arresting a lot of users. The solution is a comprehensive drug demand reduction program in the United States that involves every man and woman of goodwill.”

Immigration law

• During an interview on April 23, 2017, CNN’s Dana Bash asked if DACA recipients, also known as dreamers, were subject to deportation or could rest assured that they would not be deported, as Trump said. Kelly said, “Well, I'd certainly go with what the president said. But the point that I think the attorney general was making is that they are here unlawfully and are subject to deportation. That's what the law says. Now, what we actually do is another story. And, as I say, we are not targeting -- my organization has not targeted these so-called dreamers, DACA. And we have many, many more important criminals to go after and get rid of, and not the DACAs. … The president told me to do two things. He told me to secure the southwest border, all of our borders, and, of course, focusing now on the southwest border, and to take the worst of those that are in our country illegally, take them -- look for them and deport them. So, that's what I'm doing.”

• During an interview on April 16, 2017, Kelly said that Congress needed to fix immigration laws to reflect the complexity of the issue. He said, “Well, the laws on the books are pretty straightforward. If you're here illegally, you should leave or you should be deported, put through the system. But there are 11 million people and it's very complicated. There are people who came here as children. There are people here who came here illegally many years ago and have married local men and women and had children. It's a very complicated problem. But the law is the law. But I don't have an unlimited capacity to execute it.”

• During the same interview, NBC’s Chuck Todd asked Kelly if not having enough agents to track down individuals residing in the country illegally was his main problem. Kelly said, “Yea, I think so. You know, there's two aspects. Of course, ICE operate more or less in the interior and do targeted actions against illegal aliens plus. What I mean by that is, just because you're in the United States illegally doesn't necessarily get you targeted. It's gotta be something else. And we're operating more or less at the other end of the spectrum, and that is criminals, multiple convictions.

• When asked for an example of who would qualify for deportation under the Trump administration that was not a candidate for deportation under the Obama administration, Kelly said, “Well, someone, as an example, with multiple DUIs. Even a single DUI, depending on other aspects, would get you into the system. … But you have to remember that there's a system, a legal justice system in place. And the law deports people. Secretary Kelly doesn't. ICE doesn't. It's the United States criminal justice system or justice system that deports people.”

Individuals residing in the U.S. without legal permission

• During an interview on April 16, 2017, with NBC’s Chuck Todd, Kelly was asked about needing more ICE agents to find individuals who overstayed their visas. Kelly said, “I mean it's a big problem. There's a lot of people out there that need to be taken into custody and deported, according to the law. Visa overstays is quite a large number of the illegals that are in the country that are in fact visa overstays. And we just completed, I think, a targeted op. They just completed, ICE just completed, a targeted operation going after overstays. It's time consuming, but at the end of the day they came here with a promise to leave, and we have to track them down, and if they're still in the country, and put them in the proceedings to deport them.”

• On March 6, 2017, Kelly said that he was considering implementing a policy where minors would be separated from their parents if they entered the United States illegally. He said in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, "Let me start by saying I would do almost anything to deter the people from Central America to getting on this very, very dangerous network that brings them up through Mexico into the United States. ... We—we have tremendous experience in dealing with unaccompanied minors. We turn them over to HHS, and they do a very, very good job of either putting them in kind of foster care or linking them up with parents or family members in the United States. Yes, I am considering—in order to deter more movement along this terribly dangerous network, I am considering exactly that. They will be well cared for as we deal with their parents."

Islamic State and terrorism

See also: Federal policy on the Islamic State and terrorism, 2017-2020

• During a speech on April 18, 2017, at the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at George Washington University, Kelly said that the threat of terrorism was as great as it was on September 11, 2001. He said, "As I speak these words the FBI has open terrorism investigations in all 50 states, and since 2013, there have been 37 ISIS-linked plots to attack our country. This is all bad news, but it gets much worse. Experts estimate that perhaps 10,000 citizens of Europe have joined the caliphate in Syria and Iraq. Thousands more are from nations in Asia, Africa and the Western Hemisphere. They have learned how to make IEDs, employ drones to drop ordnance, and acquired experience on the battlefield that by all reports they are bringing back home. And as the coalition we lead wins against what are best described as conventional-terrorist formations in the caliphate, the expectation is that many of these 'holy warriors' will survive departing for their home countries to wreak murderous havoc in Europe, Asia, the Maghreb, the Caribbean and the United States. And because many are citizens of countries in our Visa Waiver Program, they can more easily travel to the United States which makes us a prime target for their exported violence."

• He also discussed homegrown terrorism during the same speech. He said, "In the past 12 months alone, there have been 36 homegrown terrorist cases in 18 states. These are the cases we know about—homegrown terrorism is notoriously difficult to predict and control. And what’s feeding this homegrown violence? Most experts agree a major contributor is the internet. From anywhere, all across the world, terrorist organizations are sharing hateful propaganda with impressionable people. They publish revolting how-to manuals, teaching their followers how to build bombs and kill innocent people. They trade dehumanizing pictures with grotesque captions—headless bodies, innocent people being thrown from buildings, rape victims being stoned to death. If you are a terrorist with an internet connection, like the one on your ever-present cellphone, you can recruit new soldiers, plan attacks, and upload a video calling for jihad with just a few clicks. ... And until community leaders, social service providers, teachers, and local law enforcement are more aware of their options to prevent that message of hate from taking hold, our nation’s youth are prey for manipulative predators. We are under attack from terrorists both within and outside of our borders. They are without conscience, and they operate without rules. They despise the United States, because we are a nation of rights, laws, and freedoms. They have a single mission, and that is our destruction. And I tell you, without exaggeration, they try to carry out this mission each and every single day and no one can tell you how to stop it. No one."

• During an interview in January 2016, Kelly discussed the changing tactics of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). He said, “It seems like the Islamic extremists and terrorists have shifted a lot of their message, and that is, ‘Hey, rather than come to Syria, why don’t you stay at home and do San Bernardino, or do Boston, or do Fort Hood.’ Even just a few of these nuts can cause an awful lot of trouble in the Caribbean.”

Portrayal of DHS agents

• During a speech on April 18, 2017, at the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at George Washington University, Kelly discussed how proud he was of DHS agents and how the media portrays them. He said, "I’ll start with something that doesn’t make headlines, but should: I could not be prouder to serve alongside the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security. And we, as a nation, owe them a debt of gratitude for taking on some of the toughest, most important jobs in America. ... While some members of congress, [sic] or state and local politicians, or a member of an advocacy group read or listen to a partial or inaccurate media report on some alleged event at an airport, in a courthouse, or at a border crossing and assume the men and women or DHS are intentionally abusing innocent individuals while breaking or ignoring US law or court orders—instead of assuming as they should that the men and women of DHS are carrying out their assigned mission in accordance with the law—the professionals at DHS are protecting the homeland and in many cases putting their lives on the line for a population the vast majority of whom will never know they are protected by such dedicated and well trained public servants. And that’s an ordinary day, one that doesn’t make the papers. Every day, in a million different ways, DHS employees are making our country more secure. They are standing guard against all the hazards we face. They are enforcing the laws the congress has passed, because we are lucky to live in a nation of laws. We do our jobs so you and your families can live a peaceful life in a free country."

• During the same speech, he said that lawmakers should stop criticizing DHS agents and using them as political pawns. He said, "In many ways similar to the treatment suffered by law enforcement over the last few years, they [DHS agents] are often ridiculed and insulted by public officials, and frequently convicted in the court of public opinion on unfounded allegations testified to by street lawyers and spokespersons. If lawmakers do not like the laws they’ve passed and we are charged to enforce—then they should have the courage and skill to change the laws. Otherwise they should shut up and support the men and women on the front lines. My people have been discouraged from doing their jobs for nearly a decade, disabled by pointless bureaucracy and political meddling, and suffered disrespect and contempt by public officials who have no idea what it means to serve. During my confirmation process and in hearings, members of congress, the press and other public officials frequently asked me about the morale problems the Department has experienced over the last few years. My response has simply been –when you discourage, disable, unjustly criticize and default to believing the self-serving accusations of a wrong doer rather than the DHS police official at the point of the action, and focus disrespect on an individual for doing his or her job, what else do you expect? ... My people—the men and women of the Department—do a difficult and at times nearly impossible job in the service of the American people. They deserve our nation’s thanks and respect. They deserve to be proud of the jobs they do."

White House chief of staff

On July 28, 2017, Trump announced on Twitter that Kelly would replace Reince Priebus as the chief of staff in his administration.

Dismissal of Anthony Scaramucci, July 2017

On July 31, 2017, Kelly's first day as chief of staff, he dismissed communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who had reported directly to the president. Scaramucci had been in his position for 10 days and had made headlines for an on-the-record interview that The New York Times described as "a crude verbal tirade against other members of the president’s staff," including Priebus and chief strategist Steve Bannon. Of the dismissal, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, "The president certainly felt that Anthony’s comments were inappropriate for a person in that position. ... He didn’t want to burden General Kelly, also, with that line of succession."

Changes to information channels in White House, August 2017

In August 2017, in Kelly's first week as chief of staff, Politico reported that he had instituted a new system of getting information to Trump. During Priebus' time as chief of staff, aides and advisors would bring information directly to the president, but Kelly changed policies so that all information intended for the president first went to Kelly. According to the August 2017 report, "Kelly has told aides that anyone briefing the president needs to show him the information first. ... He will not accept aides walking into the Oval Office and telling the president information without permission — or without the information being vetted."

Trump announces Kelly leaving role

On December 8, 2018, Trump announced that Kelly would be leaving the role at the end of the year.

See also

• Donald Trump potential high-level administration appointments

• U.S. Department of Homeland Security

External links

• U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Jeh Johnson	U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security January 20, 2017 - July 28, 2017	Succeeded by Kirstjen Nielsen