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Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department Homeland Security, retired Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly, quietly holds an adviser role at DynCorp International, a position that provided the bulk of his income over the last year, new disclosures show.
The DynCorp position is not listed on the company website and news archives show no information about Kelly’s work for the contractor.
DynCorp did not respond to a request for comment. Kelly’s financial disclosure form, published today by the Office of Government Ethics, shows that Kelly began working at the firm as an advisor in June 2016, only five months after retiring from his position as the commander of U.S. Southern Command.
Kelly is testifying this afternoon before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.
DynCorp is a major player in the federal contracting industry with a controversial history. The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction found that DynCorp mishandled funds used in Baghdad. DynCorp also managed a police training program in Afghanistan that was caught hiring “dancing boys” to entertain tribal leaders, a scandal revealed in part by Wikileaks.
The firm also has business before the agency Kelly hopes to lead. In August of last year, DynCorp was awarded a contract to provide training services to the Department of Homeland Security and other affiliated agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
DynCorp paid Kelley $166,666 in the six months since hiring him, providing about two-thirds of his overall income over the last 12 months. The financial disclosure form shows that Kelly also receives a salary from Beacon Global Strategies, a consulting firm that advising defense contractors, and receives fees via board positions at DC Capital Partners, a private equity investment firm. He has also been paid by Flatter & Associates, a government contractor.
“Upon confirmation, I will resign from my positions with the following entities: DynCorp; DC Capital Partners; Flatter & Associates; and Beacon Global Strategies,” Kelly wrote last week to ethics officials at Homeland Security.
Kelly joins other Trump officials with deep ties to the homeland security contracting industry. As we’ve reported, Lora Ries, a former lobbyist for surveillance firms, was named by the Trump’s team to help guide the transition at the Department of Homeland Security.
Photo: President-elect Donald Trump points at U.S. Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly before their meeting at Trump International Golf Club.