John Kelly | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2016 | |
| 28thWhite House Chief of Staff | |
| In office July 31, 2017 – January 2, 2019 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Principal Deputy | Kirstjen Nielsen James W. Carroll Zachary Fuentes |
| Preceded by | Reince Priebus |
| Succeeded by | Mick Mulvaney (acting) |
| 5thUnited States Secretary of Homeland Security | |
| In office January 20, 2017 – July 31, 2017 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Elaine Duke |
| Preceded by | Jeh Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Kirstjen Nielsen |
| Commander of theUnited States Southern Command | |
| In office November 19, 2012 – January 16, 2016 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Douglas M. Fraser |
| Succeeded by | Kurt W. Tidd |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Francis Kelly (1950-05-11)May 11, 1950 (age 75) Boston,Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Massachusetts, Boston (BA) Georgetown University (MA) National Defense University (MS) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Maritime Service United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1969 (USMS) 1970–1972 (USMC) 1972–1975 (inactive reserves) 1975–2016 (USMC) |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | United States Southern Command 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion Multinational Force West |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | |
John Francis Kelly (born May 11, 1950) is an American former political advisor and retiredU.S. Marine Corpsgeneral who was theWhite House chief of staff for PresidentDonald Trump from 2017 until 2019. He had previously been thesecretary of homeland security in theTrump administration and was commander ofUnited States Southern Command. Kelly is a board member atCaliburn International, aprofessional services provider. Following his firing from thefirst Trump administration in December 2018[1], Kelly became one of Trump's most notable critics among formercabinet members and administration officials, revealing inThe Atlantic that Trump would often praiseauthoritarian regimes in private meetings.[2] In October 2024, Kelly described Trump as "fascist" prior to the2024 presidential election.[3]
Born inBoston, Massachusetts, Kelly enlisted in the Marine Corps during theVietnam War and was commissioned as an officer near the end of college. He rose through the ranks, eventually serving in his last military post from 2012 to 2016 as a four-star general leading United States Southern Command, theunified combatant command responsible for American military operations inCentral America,South America, and theCaribbean.[4]
Before joining the Trump administration in January 2017, Kelly had been on the board of advisors of DC Capital Partners, aninvestment firm that owns Caliburn International. Kelly was selected as the Trump administration's first Secretary of Homeland Security. Kelly earned a reputation for being an aggressive enforcer of immigration law. After six months, he was selected to replaceReince Priebus as White House chief of staff in an attempt to bring more stability to the White House.[5] He was the first career military officer to serve in the position sinceAlexander Haig during theNixon andFord administrations.[6]
Kelly was born on May 11, 1950, inBoston, Massachusetts, the son of Josephine "Honey" (Pedalino) and John F. Kelly. Born to aCatholic family, his father was ofIrish ancestry and his mother ofItalian descent.[7][8][9][10] His father was apostal worker inBrighton.[11] He grew up in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston.[10] Before the age of 16, hehitchhiked toWashington state and rode the trains back, including afreight-hop from Seattle to Chicago.[10][12] He then served for one year in theUnited States Merchant Marine, where he says "my first time overseas was taking 10,000 tons of beer toVietnam".[12][13]
In 1970, when his mother told him that hisdraft number was coming up, he enlisted in theU.S. Marine Corps.[9][10][12] He served in an infantry company with the2nd Marine Division atCamp Lejeune, North Carolina, and was discharged to theinactive reserve as asergeant in 1972 so that he could attend college.[9][10][12] He returned to active duty with the Marines in 1975, completedOfficer Candidates School, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant on December 27, 1975.[9][14] In 1976, he graduated from theUniversity of Massachusetts Boston and in 1984, he received a Master of Arts degree inNational Security Affairs from theGeorgetown School of Foreign Service.[9][15] In 1995, Kelly graduated from theNational Defense University in Washington, D.C., with a Master of Science instrategic studies.
Kelly returned to the Second Marine Division where he served as a rifle platoon and weaponsplatoon commander, company executive officer, assistantoperations officer, and riflecompany commander. Sea duty inMayport, Florida, followed, at which time he served aboard aircraft carriersUSS Forrestal (CV-59) andUSS Independence (CV-62). In 1980, then-Captain Kelly attended the U.S. Army's Infantry Officer Advanced Course atFort Benning, Georgia. After graduation, he was assigned toHeadquarters Marine Corps in Washington, D.C., serving there from 1981 through 1984, as an assignment monitor. Kelly returned to the Second Marine Division in 1984, to command a rifle company and weapons company. Promoted to major in 1987, he then served as a battalion operations officer.[14]
In 1987, Kelly transferred tothe Basic School inQuantico, Virginia, serving first as the head of the Offensive Tactics Section, Tactics Group, and later assuming the duties of the director of the Infantry Officer Course. After three years of instructing young officers, he attended the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the School for Advanced Warfare, both located at Quantico.[14]
Completing duty under instruction and selected for lieutenant colonel, he was assigned as commanding officer,1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion (1st LAR), 1st Marine Division,Camp Pendleton, California. During his tenure, 1st LAR was called in to provide augmentation support for police in the city of Long Beach, California during theLos Angeles riots of 1992. Holding this command position for two years, Kelly returned to the East Coast in 1994, to attend theNational War College in Washington, D.C. He graduated in 1995 and was selected to serve as thecommandant'sliaison officer to theU.S. House of Representatives, Capitol Hill, where he was promoted to colonel.[14]
In 1999, Kelly transferred to joint duty and served as the special assistant to thesupreme allied commander, Europe, inMons, Belgium. He returned to the United States in 2001 and was assigned to a third tour of duty at Camp Lejeune, now as the assistant chief of staffG-3 with the Second Marine Division. In 2002, Kelly again served with the1st Marine Division, this time as the assistant division commander. Much of Kelly's two-year assignment was spent deployed in Iraq.[14] In March 2003, while inIraq, Kelly was promoted to brigadier general, which was the first known promotion of a Marine Corpscolonel in an active combat zone since that of another First Marine Division assistant division commander,Chesty Puller, in January 1951.[16]
In April 2003, Kelly took command of the newly formedTask Force Tripoli and drove it north fromBaghdad intoSamarra andTikrit.[17] Kelly has stated that during the initial assault on Baghdad he was asked by a reporter forThe Los Angeles Times if, considering the size of the Iraqi Army and the vast supplies of tanks, artillery and chemical weapons available to Saddam's forces, he would ever consider defeat. Kelly's response, as recounted by him at a 2007 San Diego Military Advisory Council networking breakfast, was, "hell these are Marines. Men like them heldGuadalcanal and tookIwo Jima, Baghdad ain't shit."[18]
His next assignment was as legislative assistant to thecommandant of the Marine Corps,Michael Hagee. In January 2007, Kelly was nominated for major general,[19][20] and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 11, 2007.[21]
Kelly's next assignment, in July 2007, was as commanding general,I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward).[22] On February 9, 2008, Kelly assumed command of the Multi-National Force–West in Iraq, replacing Major GeneralWalter E. Gaskin.[23] After a year in Iraq, Kelly returned to the United States in February 2009.[24]
Kelly was nominated for lieutenant general on March 9, 2011, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 16, 2011.[25]
Kelly was the senior military assistant to thesecretary of defense and personally greeted SecretaryLeon Panetta at the entrance to the Pentagon on July 1, 2011, Panetta's first day as secretary.[26] Kelly was nominated for General on January 31, 2012, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 26, 2012.[27] He succeeded GeneralDouglas M. Fraser as commander of U.S. Southern Command on November 19, 2012.[4][28]
In a May 2014 speech regarding thewar on terror, Kelly said:
If you think this war against our way of life is over because some of the self-appointed opinion-makers and chattering class grow 'war weary,' because they want to be out of Iraq or Afghanistan, you are mistaken. This enemy is dedicated to our destruction. He will fight us for generations, and the conflict will move through various phases as it has since 9/11.[29]
Kelly was succeeded as commander by Navy admiralKurt W. Tidd on January 14, 2016.
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On December 7, 2016, thenPresident-electDonald Trump nominated Kelly to head theDepartment of Homeland Security (DHS), acabinet-level position.[30] People familiar with the transition said that Trump's team was drawn to Kelly because of his southwest border expertise.[31] On January 20, 2017, Kelly was confirmed as Secretary of Homeland Security by the United States Senate with a vote of 88–11.[32] On that evening, he was sworn in by Vice PresidentMike Pence.[33]
In an April 2017 speech atGeorge Washington University, Kelly said, "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."[34]
Kelly indicated days into the administration his interest in having the U.S.–Mexico border wall completed within two years.[35] On April 21, 2017, Kelly said the U.S.–Mexico border wall would begin construction "by the end of the summer."[36] Two days later, Kelly said he believed "a border wall is essential" as there were "tremendous threats" such as drugs and individuals coming into the US.[37] On May 2, Kelly stated his surprise in office holders "rejoicing in the fact that the wall will be slower to be built and, consequently, the southwest border under less control than it could be."[38]
In May 2017, Kelly said of terrorism, "It's everywhere. It's constant. It's nonstop. The good news for us in America is we have amazing people protecting us every day. But it can happen here almost anytime." He said that the threat from terrorism was so severe that some people would "never leave the house" if they knew the truth.[39] In July, Kelly allegedly blocked Milwaukee County SheriffDavid Clarke from taking a position in the DHS, though it was never confirmed.[40]
Of his tenure as Secretary of Homeland Security,USA Today wrote, "Kelly oversaw some of the most controversial policies of Trump's agenda, including a travel ban targeting several majority-Muslim countries, a reduction in refugee admissions and stepped-up deportations of undocumented immigrants."[41] According to theNew Yorker, Kelly left the DHS with a:
...reputation as one of the most aggressive enforcers of immigration law in recent American history. His record belies the short length of his tenure. In six months, Kelly eliminated guidelines that governed federal immigration agents' work; vastly expanded the categories of immigrants being targeted for deportation; threatened to abandon the Obama-era program that grants legal status to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children; and has even broached the idea of splitting up mothers and children at the border to "deter" people from coming to the U.S.[42]
The DHS under Kelly "became one of the few branches of the federal government that has been both willing and able to execute Trump's policy priorities."[42] Unlike other agency heads, Kelly did not clash with Trump.[41]
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Trump appointed Kelly to the post ofWhite House chief of staff on July 28, 2017, replacingReince Priebus. Priebus's ousting and Kelly's appointment followed an internal power struggle within the White House.[43] Kelly took office on July 31, 2017.[44] That same day, with Trump's approval, Kelly removedAnthony Scaramucci from his role asWhite House communications director just ten days after Scaramucci was appointed to that role. Reportedly, Kelly had requested permission to remove Scaramucci after "Scaramucci had boasted about reporting directly to the president, not the chief of staff."[45] On August 18, 2017, Kelly removedSteve Bannon from his role as White House chief strategist on behalf of President Trump.[46] In September 2017, Kelly folded theOffice of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, which was led byPeter Navarro, into theNational Economic Council, which meant that Navarro would report to NEC directorGary Cohn.[47]
Early into his tenure, media outlets such asThe New York Times,The Washington Post, andFiveThirtyEight speculated that Kelly would bring moderation and discipline to the White House.[48][49][50] In August 2017, early into Kelly's tenure,The Washington Post wrote that Kelly had "left no discernible imprint on the White House's philosophy" and that it was unclear if he would bring calm and rigor to the White House.[51] In a lengthy October 2017 article on Kelly's tenure, Peter Baker, ofThe New York Times, wrote that "for all of the talk of Mr. Kelly as a moderating force and the so-called grown-up in the room, it turns out that he harbors strong feelings on patriotism, national security and immigration that mirror the hard-line views of his outspoken boss."[52] By February 2018, Kelly had emerged as ahardliner on several issues, particularly on immigration.[48] He supported the administration's policy ofseparating children from their parents as a means of deterring illegal immigration, and he rejected the idea that family separation was inhumane, telling anNPR reporter, "The children will be taken care of — put into foster care or whatever."[53] He was also embroiled in controversy after defending an aide who was accused of domestic violence,[54] and there were reports of pressure on Kelly to resign.[55]
When Trump arrived inSingapore in June 2018 for theNorth Korea–United States summit,The New York Times reported that Kelly had told a recent group of visiting American senators that the White House was "a miserable place to work."[56] The reported comment renewed months-long speculation that Kelly would resign from his job as White House chief of staff.[57]
According to several news outlets in early 2018, Kelly's influence in the White House had been diminished and Trump made several key decisions without his presence.[58][59][60] On December 7, 2018,CNN and others reported that Kelly and Trump were no longer on speaking terms and that Kelly was expected to resign in the coming days.[61] On December 8, Trump announced that Kelly would be leaving at the end of the year.[62] On December 14, 2018, the White House announced thatMick Mulvaney would replace John Kelly as the White House chief of staff.[63]
On the day after the2021 United States Capitol attack, Kelly said he supported Trump's removal from office by use of theTwenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, adding, "What happened on Capitol Hill yesterday is a direct result of his poisoning the minds of people with the lies and the frauds."[64]
Kelly released a statement in October 2023 confirming much of the 2020 reporting byJeffrey Goldberg that Trump had expressed disdain for veterans and American servicemembers killed in action. Kelly harshly condemned Trump in several respects, characterizing him as "a person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law."[65][66]
In an October 2024 interview withMichael S. Schmidt ofThe New York Times, Kelly again remarked on Trump's recent comments about using the military against the "enemy within" the United States. Kelly said Trump met thedefinition of a fascist, would govern like adictator if allowed, and had no understanding of the Constitution or the concept ofrule of law. He confirmed previous reports that Trump had made admiring statements aboutAdolf Hitler and had expressed contempt for disabled veterans and those who had died. He said Trump wrongly believed that the uniformed and retired senior generals he brought in to work for him would be loyal to him above all else, including the Constitution.[67]
In January 2017,The Intercept reported that Kelly failed to disclose his position as vice-chair on the Spectrum Group, a defense contractor lobbying firm, on his ethics form, while taking a position at theDepartment of Homeland Security.[68] In 2019, Kelly's appointment to the board ofCaliburn International, a subsidiary of DC Capital Partners that operates for-profit detention facilities for migrant children at the Southern Border and in Florida, raised conflict of interest concerns. Some members of Congress have described "prison-like" living conditions in the company's facility inHomestead.[69] Caliburn CEO James Van Dusen said, "With four decades of military and humanitarian leadership, in-depth understanding of international affairs and knowledge of current economic drivers around the world, General Kelly is a strong strategic addition to our team." Candidates in the2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries objected, includingCory Booker, who said Kelly's actions in joining the board were "disgusting," andElizabeth Warren, who called his role, "corruption at its absolute worst."[70] In July 2019, theHouse Oversight Committee announced it was probing Kelly's conflict of interest in the camps while he was the White House Chief of Staff.[71][72]
In October 2017, CongresswomanFrederica Wilson (D-FL) criticized Trump for his phone call to the widow of a slain U.S. soldier, saying his remarks had been insensitive. Wilson had been in the widow's car when Trump had called her.[73] A few days later, Kelly held a press briefing where he defended Trump's phone call, which he had overheard, saying Trump "expressed his condolences in the best way that he could." Kelly harshly criticized Wilson, calling her "the empty barrel that makes the most noise" and stating that in a 2015 speech Wilson had "stood up" to inappropriately claim credit for securing federal funding for an FBI building in her district.[74][75] TheSouth Florida Sun-Sentinel found video of her 2015 speech which showed his description to be inaccurate.PolitiFact published an articlefact-checking Kelly's comments, which were ruled "false"; the article stated that Kelly had "mischaracterized her remarks in significant ways".[76] Later that month, while in an interview with conservative commentatorLaura Ingraham, Kelly said he stood by his comments on Wilson and would never apologize for his comments. Kelly said he would "talk about before her comments and at the reception afterwards" as a "package deal", but refused to elaborate further.[77][78]
In the same October 2017 interview with Laura Ingraham, Kelly said that "the lack of ability to compromise led to theCivil War." He also describedRobert E. Lee as an "honorable man" who "gave up ... his country to fight for his state," and claimed, "men and women of good faith on both sides made their stand where their conscience had to make their stand."[79] Several historians of the Civil War described Kelly's remarks as ignorant, and as a misuse of history reminiscent ofLost Cause mythology. They also broadly reject Kelly's remark that a failure to compromise led to the Civil War, noting that the war was predominantly fought over slavery and that a number of compromises on slavery were made in the lead-up to the war.[80] The White House defended Kelly's remarks, citing non-fiction writer and historianShelby Foote.[81]
On February 6, 2018, Kelly made recorded remarks concerning a discrepancy between how many had enrolled inDACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and how many were to be offered a path to citizenship, by saying "The difference between 690 [thousand] and 1.8 million were the people that some would say were too afraid to sign up; others would say are too lazy to get off their asses, but they didn't sign up".[82]
In February 2018,The New York Times reported that Kelly had been in a physical confrontation with former Trump campaign managerCorey Lewandowski. According to anonymous sources, Kelly had a heated argument with Lewandowski in which he accused him of profiting off Trump's presidency. This led to Kelly grabbing Lewandowski by the collar and pushing him up against the wall just outside the Oval Office. The sources said Lewandowski did not respond physically to Kelly, and when Secret Service agents arrived, Lewandowski and Kelly went their separate ways.[83]
On February 7, 2018, White House staff secretaryRob Porter resigned in the wake of reports that his two ex-wives accused him ofdomestic abuse, allegations that Porter said are false and "a coordinated smear campaign".[84] One ex-wife had a protective order from 2010 against Porter, and the other had photographic evidence of the alleged abuse.[84] The protective order had prevented Porter from obtaining a full security clearance, though the order's associated ex-wife said Porter's "integrity and ability to do his job is impeccable".[84] According to an unnamed senior administration official, Kelly was aware of the protective order and the domestic abuse allegations, and had promoted Porter within the White House.[84][85] Approached by media about the allegations, Kelly initially praised Porter, saying he was a "man of true integrity and honor, and I can't say enough good things about him. He is a friend, a confidante and a trusted professional. I am proud to serve alongside him."[84] Per an unnamed White House official, Porter resigned over the objections of Kelly, who had worked closely with Porter since becoming White House Chief of Staff.[86]
In a February 8 email to White House staff, Kelly wrote, "While we are all processing the shocking and troubling allegations made against a former White House staffer, I want you to know that we all take matters of domestic violence very seriously. Domestic violence is abhorrent and has no place in our society".[87] On February 9, 2018,The Washington Post reported that Kelly had instructed senior staff and aides to tell reporters that Kelly took immediate action to fire Porter upon hearing that domestic abuse allegations were credible; thePost noted this "version of events contradicts both the public record and accounts from numerous other White House officials in recent days as the Porter drama unfolded."[88] Kelly told reporters on March 2, 2018 that he sought Porter's resignation immediately after learning of the accusations on February 6 and regretted his handling of Porter's departure.[89]
In August 2018, a tape was released of Kelly firing White House stafferOmarosa Manigault in the Situation Room, and allegedly threatening her legally as well as reputationally, saying to her: "I'd like to see this be a friendly departure. There are pretty significant legal issues that we hope don't develop into something that, that'll make it ugly for you."[90][91] When questioned whether the President knew of the firing, Kelly replied: "The [White House] staff, and everybody on the staff, works for me and not the president."[90] Kelly's use of theSituation Room to isolate and fire Manigault also led to controversy about potential misuse of the high-security facility by Kelly, as well as the fact he was unknowingly recorded within it.[91][92]
According toNew York Times reporterMichael C. Bender in his 2021 book'Frankly, We Did Win This Election': The Inside Story of How Trump Lost,[93] during a 2018 trip to France to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, then President Donald Trump told Kelly, "Well,Hitler did a lot of good things", specifically pointing to the recovery of Germany’s economy in the 1930s. The story was first reported on July 6, 2021. The next day, Trump's spokesperson denied that the former president praised Hitler, calling the claim "totally false".[94][95] Kelly also recalled Trump saying that "I need the kind of generals that Hitler had" during a meeting in the White House, and insisted that they were "totally loyal to him" after Kelly pointed out they had tried to kill him multiple times.[96][97]
Kelly married Karen Hernest in 1976. They raised three children together: Robert, John Jr., and Kathleen.[98]
On November 9, 2010, Kelly's 29-year-old son, First Lieutenant Robert Michael Kelly,[99] was killed in action when he stepped on a land mine while leading a platoon of Marines on a patrol inSangin, Afghanistan.
The younger Kelly was a former enlisted Marine and was on his third combat tour, his first combat tour as a U.S. Marine Corps infantry officer. At the time of his death, Robert Kelly was withLima Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines. Robert Kelly's death made John Kelly the highest-ranking American military officer to lose a child in Iraq or Afghanistan.[100] Kelly's other son is a Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel.[101][102][103]
Kelly's military decorations and awards:
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.The division accomplished some important tasks during this brief respite. With Secretary of Defense authority, the commanding general frocked Colonel John F. Kelly, the assistant division commander, to the grade of brigadier general at the division forward COC located in the South Rumaylah oil fields. The last known promotion of a Marine Corps brigadier general in an active combat zone was that of an earlier 1st Marine Division ADC—then Colonel Lewis B. 'Chesty' Puller in Korea.
September 11, 2007 PN199-2 MARINE CORPS The following named officers for appointment in the United States Marine Corps to the grade indicated under title 10, U.S.C., section 624: Brig. Gen. John F. Kelly, 7821, to be Major General
The effort she bragged about was initially requested by the FBI itself, and her actions were made in service of honoring the memory of the two slain agents. She also shared the credit, saying it could not have been accomplished without the help of her Republican colleagues, including then-House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Commander ofMulti-National Force West 2008–2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander of theUnited States Marine Corps Reserve 2009–2011 | Succeeded by Darrell Moore Acting |
| Commander of theUnited States Marine Corps Forces Northern Command 2009–2011 | ||
| Preceded by | Senior Military Assistant to theSecretary of Defense 2011–2012 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander ofUnited States Southern Command 2012–2016 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | 5thUnited States Secretary of Homeland Security 2017 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | 28thWhite House Chief of Staff 2017–2019 | Succeeded by Mick Mulvaney Acting |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Cabinet Member | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Cabinet Member | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Cabinet Member |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
