GEO Group are a notorious private prison firm whose federal contracts for monitoring, housing and deporting illegal immigrants totaled more than $1 billion / year even before Trump took office. According to sources who spoke with NBC News, GEO Group founder George Zoley met with Corey "actually running DHS" Lewandowski before Trump took office. During that meeting, Lewandowski told Zoley that he wanted to be paid in exchange for "protecting and growing" GEO Group's share of federal contracts. Zoley declined and instead offered to put Lewandowski on retainer — a recurring consulting fee. Lewandowski balked, saying he wanted to be compensated based on the company's new or renewed contracts. "He wanted payments — what some people would call a success fee," said a person with knowledge of the meeting.
"Zoley declined, the two sources said. In the months that followed, the length of two of GEO Group's federal contracts shrank, and currently several of its facilities that could house migrants sit idle, even as Congress and Trump have poured money into DHS to execute the mass deportation campaign. GEO Group officials believe that is tied to their not agreeing to Lewandowski's solicitations, said a source familiar with the GEO Group officials' thinking." *** I'm surprised this wasn't on metafilter yet, so... here it is. More, via Heather Cox Richardson: Lewandowski's official title was that of a "special government employee," with a temporary appointment that permitted him to work only 130 days in a year, but DHS officials told the journalists that Lewandowski had broad authority over contracts in the department and was referred to as "chief." He allegedly sidestepped the limits of his appointment by going into the building accompanying Noem, and thus without swiping in using his badge. Lewandowski has denied any wrongdoing. Yesterday Hamed Aleaziz, Alexandra Berzon, Nicholas Nehamas, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, and Tyler Pager of the New York Times reported on the extraordinary power Lewandowski had in DHS under Noem, explaining that he held meetings without her present, sat in on classified briefings, read a version of the highly classified President's Daily Brief, and issued orders as he spearheaded detention and deportation of migrants. In addition to approving government contracts that worried officials, Lewandowski helped put Greg Bovino, a midlevel Border Patrol leader, into a senior position that gave him national power. *** Lewandowski on metafilter previously: one, two, three, four.
"Zoley declined, the two sources said. In the months that followed, the length of two of GEO Group's federal contracts shrank, and currently several of its facilities that could house migrants sit idle, even as Congress and Trump have poured money into DHS to execute the mass deportation campaign. GEO Group officials believe that is tied to their not agreeing to Lewandowski's solicitations, said a source familiar with the GEO Group officials' thinking." *** I'm surprised this wasn't on metafilter yet, so... here it is. More, via Heather Cox Richardson: Lewandowski's official title was that of a "special government employee," with a temporary appointment that permitted him to work only 130 days in a year, but DHS officials told the journalists that Lewandowski had broad authority over contracts in the department and was referred to as "chief." He allegedly sidestepped the limits of his appointment by going into the building accompanying Noem, and thus without swiping in using his badge. Lewandowski has denied any wrongdoing. Yesterday Hamed Aleaziz, Alexandra Berzon, Nicholas Nehamas, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, and Tyler Pager of the New York Times reported on the extraordinary power Lewandowski had in DHS under Noem, explaining that he held meetings without her present, sat in on classified briefings, read a version of the highly classified President's Daily Brief, and issued orders as he spearheaded detention and deportation of migrants. In addition to approving government contracts that worried officials, Lewandowski helped put Greg Bovino, a midlevel Border Patrol leader, into a senior position that gave him national power. *** Lewandowski on metafilter previously: one, two, three, four.