Pete Sampson.
As to "opening the checkbook" for Freeman, I think it was circumstantial. I believe that the willingness to do what it took to get him was related to the commitment Kelly made in 2020 to racial justice and the issue that his staff lacked diversity at central positions, particularly coordinator. It was why I was skeptical of the suggestion that Kelly would promote Mike Elston to DC: if Kelly made that crony hire, then it would suggest he was just virtual signaling about racial justice, or worse, suggest there were no qualified black coordinators out there to hire, which given Freeman was manifestly not true. So if Kelly and Swarbrick felt they really had to find a black coordinator, then Freeman -- who was the hot name regardless of skin color -- would be a priority.
Link: https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/1419326604489203715?s=20