John Kelly instructed DHS official to avoid email to deter hackers, FOIA requests: report

As Secretary of Homeland Security, John Kelly directed at least one official to avoid emailing him about agency business due to fears that his email had been been hacked and was susceptible to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests from journalists and the public, according to an email obtained through a FOIA request.

The email, acquired by BuzzFeed News in response to a FOIA lawsuit, shows correspondence from June 8, 2017, between then-Secretary Kelly and an official whose name was redacted on privacy grounds.

“As we discussed in NYC about the toxic atmosphere here in the D.C. cesspool, my folks are nervous about e-mails you send and ask that you no longer include them on any postings,” Kelly wrote to the official. “FOIA is real and everyday here in the cesspool, and even federal court action on personal accounts is real.”

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Kelly, now President Trump’s chief of staff, concluded the email by seemingly suggesting that emails between staffers could contribute to leaks.

“Again, the atmosphere in the cesspool makes it a blood sport to leak so if and when you enter the fray you need to be very-very careful,” he wrote. “Infinitely more than you had to in the past.”

In the email, Kelly also confirmed news reports from late 2017 that his personal email was compromised for months after he entered the transition office space, forcing the Homeland Security chief to do business via phone call or face-to-face conversations.

The Trump administration has battled a flurry of damaging and embarrassing leaks from the White House and across the federal government since Trump took office last year.

On Tuesday, CNN reported that Kelly Sadler, the White House aide accused of making a joke about Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) health — which was first reported by The Hill — was pushed out over her accusation that her boss, Mercedes Schlapp, was a frequent leaker to the press.

Kelly slammed the media in October for relying too much on anonymous sources or “leaks” coming from the Trump administration, saying that it affected the accuracy of news stories.

“When I watch TV in the morning, it is astounding to me how much is misreported,” he said.

“I will give you the benefit of the doubt that you are operating off of contacts, leaks, whatever you call them,” he added. “But I just would offer to you the advice — maybe develop some better sources.”