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14 Jan, 13 tweets, 4 min read
The DOJ Inspector General released a new report on the planning and implementation of the Trump admin.’s “zero tolerance” policy.

It concludes top Trump DOJ officials failed to prepare for the policy and knew it would lead to the separation of families.
oig.justice.gov/reports/review…
We’ve been investigating family separation.

Documents we obtained provide evidence of a pattern of miscommunication and disorganization within DHS at the same time officials were issuing misleading public statements about the administration’s policies.
americanoversight.org/chaos-confusio…
Emails from March 2017 show us that Kirstjen Nielsen, then DHS chief of staff, and her associates were unprepared for the response to the Reuters story that first reported that the administration was considering separating families.
On March 3, 2017, Reuters reported that the administration was considering a family-separation proposal. An unidentified person emailed the story to the DHS budget director: “I would be truly grateful if you could tell me this isn’t being seriously considered.”
The email was forwarded to Nielsen who replied, “Can we reach out to [redacted]? Also what is our TP [talking point] here? (And what is the inside story?)”
documentcloud.org/documents/6821…
To make matters worse, the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties at DHS was seemingly left in the dark about the family-separation policy and the administration’s plans for safeguarding the rights of the children separated from their families.
The documents show that on April 6, 2018 — the day then-AG Jeff Sessions announced the zero-tolerance policy — a CRCL officer reached out to a deputy undersecretary to discuss the “over 1,000 complaints” of family separations that the office was handling:
“CRCL has received an enormous volume of matters alleging inappropriate family separations and is preparing to issue recommendations on the topic but we are not clear on...whether a formal change in policy is likely.”
documentcloud.org/documents/6821…
Despite the confusion around the family-separation policy, a January 2018 memo from CRCL shows that DHS was aware of the serious issues that emerged in early family separations.
documentcloud.org/documents/6257…
On Jan. 23, a deputy officer at CRCL sent a CRCL officer, a “brief write-up regarding the forthcoming CRCL recommendation for a DHS/HHS family separation work group.” The memo was based on 27 of 950 “family separation matters” since 2016 that it had investigated.
We’ve also uncovered details of the role of former DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. While Nielsen has tried to distance herself from the policy, documents we uncovered through FOIA show her involvement.
We compiled records released in response to dozens of public records requests and multiple lawsuits to create an extensive timeline of the administration’s communications about family separation.
americanoversight.org/a-timeline-of-…
Explore our full investigation here:
americanoversight.org/investigation/…

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More from @weareoversight

American Oversight Profile picture
15 Jan
Even as Trump’s presidency sunsets, it’s still hard to tell how much money went from public coffers into his pockets. Here’s what we’ve learned about government spending at Trump properties after nearly 4 years of investigations:
americanoversight.org/tracking-taxpa…
Responses to our FOIA requests revealed that major federal agencies across the government lacked guidance for employees on spending taxpayer money at Trump properties. In practice, this ethical indifference has allowed public funds to enrich the president.
americanoversight.org/administration…
We uncovered that billionaire U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. Woody Johnson paid £1,143 (about $1,500) for a single day of activities at Trump’s golf course in Scotland in July 2018.
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American Oversight Profile picture
15 Jan
Missouri and Kansas Attorneys General Eric Schmitt and Derek Schmidt improperly used the authority of their offices to challenge the results of the 2020 election, framing it as an existential constitutional crisis, our @AREvers told the @KCStar.
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Schmitt and Schmidt backed the extraordinary and baseless lawsuit that attempted to overturn the election results in several key states. “These were formal court documents that carried the veneer of legitimacy,” Evers said.
“They were insane legal documents pushing insane legal theories, where the only audience was the most extreme fringes of the Republican Party.”
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American Oversight Profile picture
15 Jan
In April 2020, Wisconsin was reporting hundreds of new Covid-19 cases every week and medical staff were in dire need of PPE.

We obtained emails from that time that reveal deep frustration with the Trump administration over PPE shortages. #FOIAFriday
americanoversight.org/wisconsin-offi… Image
On April 20, Maggie Gau, chief of staff to Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, replied to a White House document touting the successes of Project Airbridge, the White House-led push to distribute and deliver medical supplies.
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Read 10 tweets
American Oversight Profile picture
14 Jan
Today’s DOJ IG report means very little to the families that were torn apart in 2018, or to the 628 children that still have not been reunited with their parents. They bore the inhumane brunt of the Trump administration’s failures.
The report underscores and confirms the evidence developed by us and others over the last few years. When you combine zealous cruelty and bumbling bureaucratic competence, you get inhumane, tragic results.
Our May 2020 report found the administration failed to take any reasonable steps to prepare to execute its plans. And now, the Department of Justice has reached the same conclusion.
americanoversight.org/chaos-confusio…
Read 4 tweets
American Oversight Profile picture
14 Jan
A new DOJ IG report says Trump DOJ officials pushed the “zero tolerance” immigration policy while knowing it would lead to family separations.

We obtained a Jan. 2018 DHS memo listing problems with the “pilot” program.

A “Negative impact” listed: “Permanent family separation.” Image
Read more about the DOJ IG’s report here:
huffpost.com/entry/jeff-ses…

The 2018 memo also listed “New populations of U.S. orphans” under a section titled “problematic outcomes.”
The memo was based on DHS Civil Rights/Civil Liberties office’s investigation of 27 of the 950 “family separation matters” the office had received since 2016.

It cited problems with:
-“inconsistent, inaccurate, or no record-keeping for all arriving family members” in DHS systems Image
Read 5 tweets
American Oversight Profile picture
14 Jan
We’ve launched an investigation into the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol.

Yesterday, we submitted a suite of public records requests to the D.C. government to investigate how leaders handled this attack on democracy.
americanoversight.org/investigation/…
The Defense Department has come under criticism for reportedly initially resisting emergency requests for National Guard assistance while militia members roamed congressional halls.
nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/…
We asked the D.C. mayor’s office for all email communications sent by Mayor Muriel Bowser or acting Police Chief Robert J. Contee III regarding President Trump’s Jan. 6 rally, including requests to other agencies for support or guidance.
americanoversight.org/document/recor…
Read 9 tweets

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