Staff Departures at HUD

HUD is on the hunt for a new CIO after Johnson Joy (pictured right) abruptly stepped down from the job last week. The Guardian first reported Joy’s departure, following stories that alleged the CIO and one of his aides, Naved Jafry, had ties to an obscure religious nonprofit in Houston. Jafry had also been the subject of multiple fraud lawsuits and may have included inaccuracies in his official biography. On the heels of these absences comes the departure of Leah LeVell (pictured left), a former White House staffer, who had worked as a Communication Aide in Joy’s office. She was among three staffers let go. Sources at HUD said the aides had their contracts terminated unexpectedly by Accel Corporation, a Maryland-based private employment agency that supplied Joy’s office with multiple staffers. LeVell’s father, Bruce, is an Advisor to Donald Trump’s re-election campaign. Two senior HUD Advisors, Sophia Edwards and Paul Fulcher, also departed. None is accused of wrongdoing. Rumors continue to dog Secretary Ben Carson that he is among those who Trump may replace. However, no personnel announcements have come from the White House at the time we hit send. More here.