Is this important? It sounds important.
From the Washington Examiner:
[THREADING A SCOOP]: The Biden administration did not solicit bids for an $87 million contract to house migrant families in hotels and instead gave the massive contract to an organization whose leadership has ties to the White House. https://t.co/jYMrZVeDx6
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) April 7, 2021
And we eagerly await the national media’s coverage of this story:
Oh, hey, look – a REAL pay-for-play scandal. I'm sure DNC Media will be ALL OVER this. https://t.co/gbReIIbMhY
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) April 8, 2021
This does sound perfect for “60 Minutes,” right? RIGHT?
::blows conch::@60Minutes news team, assemble!!!! https://t.co/G7nqbwbWaK
— Foster (@foster_type) April 7, 2021
More from reporter Anna Giaritelli here:
In its rush to stand up facilities to hold families coming over the border, the Biden administration signed a deal that a member of Congress and people with knowledge of the matter said presented a conflict of interest and wasted existing gov facilities. https://t.co/jYMrZVeDx6
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) April 7, 2021
Last month, ICE awarded an $87 million contract to acquire and oversee an operation involving 1,200 hotel beds to house migrant families in Arizona and Texas. The contract was given to Family Endeavors, which has no history as an ICE contractor. https://t.co/jYMrZVeDx6
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) April 7, 2021
But Endeavors does have a former official from the Biden transition team in its ranks: former ICE official Andrew Lorenzen-Strait, identified as a potential broker in the deal by Rep. Andrew Clyde, who is tracking the contract, as well as two sources.https://t.co/jYMrZVeDx6
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) April 7, 2021
Recommended
On Inauguration Day, Endeavors announced Lorenzen-Strait would become its senior director for migrant services & federal affairs, meaning that he'd be the nonprofit’s liaison to the federal government. Within 2 months, Lorenzen-Strait secured the contract.https://t.co/jYMrZVeDx6
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) April 7, 2021
Federal contracts are to be awarded through an open competitive process, outlined in the Federal Acquisition Regulation.
ICE confirmed to @dcexaminer that it never accepted bids but went with an internal candidate who had significant insider connections.https://t.co/jYMrZVeDx6
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) April 7, 2021
Endeavors took in $43M in 2018, according to tax documents, just half of the new $87M contract from ICE to house migrant families in hotels.https://t.co/jYMrZVeDx6
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) April 7, 2021
Progressive Democrats want ICE to shift away from for-profit company-operated immigrant detention centers.
But 7 top execs at nonprofit Endeavors, who received the no-bid $87M contract for hotels, reported 6-figure salaries in 2018, as much as $312,000. https://t.co/jYMrZVeDx6
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) April 7, 2021
Lorenzen-Strait left ICE in May 2019 as head of the 45,000-person capacity detention operations. His last boss was Tae Johnson, who is now the acting director of ICE and would have the final say on the $87 million contract that Lorenzen-Strait received.https://t.co/jYMrZVeDx6
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) April 7, 2021
ICE official Claire Trickler-McNulty used to work for Lorenzen-Strait before he left ICE in 2019. Trickler-McNulty was given full authority over acquisitions and contracts despite working outside that office, a move one source said was “extremely unusual.” https://t.co/jYMrZVeDx6
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) April 7, 2021
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