Author: John Bacon / Source: USA TODAY
The controversial “zero tolerance” immigration policy that led border officials to separate children from their parents was the brainchild of then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions and was not handed down from the White House, Chief of Staff John Kelly says.
Kelly, who steps down Wednesday after 18 months in the White House, told the Los Angeles Times the administration had no advance warning of Sessions’ plan.
“What happened was Jeff Sessions, he was the one that instituted the zero-tolerance process on the border that resulted in both people being detained and the family separation,” Kelly said. “He surprised us.”
In discussing the partial government shutdown, Kelly said the budget impasse between the White House and Congress isn’t about just a concrete or steel wall.
“To be honest, it’s not a wall,” Kelly told the Times.
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Kelly said he has discussed border security with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents working along the border who have made it clear…
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