Trump’s bringing back private federal prisons after one of the largest and worst private prison companies gave big $$$ to get him elected. TELL THE FEC: Investigate potentially illegal political contributions from GEO Group! SIGN THE PETITION

Friend —

GEO Group, one of the nation’s largest private prison operators, gave generously to elect Donald Trump president. Then they were awarded a $110 million contract to run a new immigration detention center in Texas.¹

In 2016, President Obama’s Justice Department decided to phase out private prisons. And for good reason. Private prisons are notoriously overcrowded and understaffed,² provide substandard medical care to inmates, and are more dangerous for both corrections officers and inmates. Despite the hype, they don’t even provide substantial cost savings.³

So why in the world would President Trump’s Department of Justice rescind the ban on private prisons?

Maybe it has something to do with GEO Group giving a sketchy $225,000 to a super PAC that worked to get Trump elected. GEO also gave $250,000 to Trump’s inauguration to make sure the message got across.

Tell the Federal Election Commission: Investigate private prison operator GEO Group’s possibly illegal contributions to Trump!

GEO Group is a very bad actor in an already troubled industry.

In 2009, GEO pulled out of a private prison it ran in Pennsylvania after it was the subject of several wrongful death suits. It ran the largest juvenile detention center in the country until it was hit with a class-action lawsuit over conditions at the facility.⁴

Now GEO Group is facing allegations that it asked Republican lawmakers in Texas to file a bill that would make it legal for immigrant children to be heldindefinitely in its detention centers, allowing it to make as much money as possible.⁵

There’s a reason federal contractors are banned from making political donations. It is a direct path to rampant government pay-to-play.

That’s why the FEC needs to investigate this contribution immediately. Sign our petition today.

GEO tried to route this donation through a subsidiary group, but the evidence shows there’s effectively no distinction between the groups and both rely on taxpayer dollars.

With President Trump just firing FBI Director James Comey, who was looking into ties between Trump’s campaign and Russian interference in the election, we need tough investigations to make sure the Trump administration is operating above-board.

Tell the Federal Election Commission: Don’t let private prisons buy their way into government contracts. Investigate GEO’s possibly illegal contributions to Trump.

Thanks for taking a stand,

Carli and the Rootstrikers Team

Sources:
1. Mic, “Private firm wins $110 million contract for new immigrant detention center in Texas,” April 14, 2017.
2. NPR, “Investigation Into Private Prisons Reveals Crowding, Under-Staffing And Inmate Deaths,” August 25, 2016.
3. Time, “This Is the Real Reason Private Prisons Should Be Outlawed,” August 24, 2016.
4. Newsweek, “Private Prison Company GEO Group Gave Generously to Trump and Now Has Lucrative Contract,” May 11, 2017.
5. Ibid.