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John Kelly: The Facts

Document Date: January 3, 2017

John Kelly is President Trump’s second White House chief of staff. In this role, Kelly oversees the staff of the White House and the implementation and execution of the president’s agenda. Kelly’s move into this role from heading the Department of Homeland Security represents a shift into a more political position in the Trump administration. His military background was lauded as an asset that would bring discipline and structure to the West Wing. He has pledged to bring “deep respect for our laws and Constitution” to the chief of staff’s office. He has pledged to bring the same “deep respect for our laws and Constitution” to the chief of staff’s office as the Department of Homeland Security.

Facts

  • As the General in charge of the Guantanamo Bay Detention facility, Kelly publicly criticized efforts to close Guantanamo (Source) and was accused by Obama Administration officials of working to undermine the President’s efforts to close the facility. (Source)
  • Opposed and publicly criticized the integration of women into military ground combat units, arguing it would lead to lower standards. (Source)
  • Defended the use of “enhanced interrogation techniques”, such as waterboarding and rectal feeding. Kelly went on to dismiss the criticisms of human rights groups as “foolishness”. (Source)
  • Testified in support of an officer caught urinating on talibani corpses. (Source)
  • Supports the imprisonment of terror suspects without trial. (Source)
  • Criticised by Amnesty International for his “unsafe and inhumane” treatment (Source) of Guantanamo detainees on hunger strike to protest their imprisonment. (Source)
  • Supports the war on drugs and opposes legalization or decriminalization of any drugs, including marijuana. (Source)
  • A proponent of border security, Kelly believes that “no wall will work by itself” and has warned about the “existential threat” that unchecked migration poses for the nation. (Source)

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