An April 2013 email from a career Department of Homeland Security official released on Friday by the office of Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) stated that the Department of Homeland Security "absolutely gave special treatment" to green card visa applications filed by foreign national EB-5 investors in GreenTech Automotive, the company Virginia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe served as chairman of from 2010 to 2012.
In the released email, the names of the sender as well as the recipient have been redacted, but both are described as "career DHS officials." The text of the email also refers to a person called "D1," which Senator Grassley's office believes is US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) director Alejandro Mayorkas. President Obama nominated Mayorkas to become Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security on June 27.
Mr. Mayorkas testified before a Senate committee holding hearings on his nomination on July 25. The hearings were attended by only Democrats. Republicans did not participatebecause Mr. Mayorkas is the subject of an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General's Office.
The email, dated April 12, 2013, is from a "Senior USCIS Career Official" and is sent to "USCIS Career Officials." It reads as follows:We absolutely gave special treatment to GreenTech at the directive of D1. D1 was working directly with the RC's [EB-5 Regional Center] atty, [name redacted]. Additionally, I would call a wholesale rewrite of the AAO's [Administrative Appeals Office] decision by the front office special treatment. Look at the first draft in the attached email and the final version, attached.
Senator Grassley asked Mr. Mayorkas about an apparent inconsistency between this email and his earlier testimony in a letter he sent to Mr. Mayorkas on Thursday. Grassley wrote to Mayorkas that "you testified [on July 25]: 'I have never ever in my career exercised undue influence to influence the outcome of a case.'" Grassley noted in his letter to Mayorkas that "D1 [mentioned in the April 12, 2013 email] is an apparent reference to you."
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