Trump Investigates Lewandowski's Involvement in Noem's $200M DHS Ad Campaign
Following the dismissal of Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary, President Donald Trump has reportedly shifted his focus to her top adviser, Corey Lewandowski. According to sources familiar with internal discussions, the president is seeking answers about whether Lewandowski personally benefited from a multi-million dollar advertising campaign that prominently featured Secretary Noem.
Contract Controversy and Congressional Scrutiny
The controversy centers around a $222 million advertising initiative at the Department of Homeland Security that has drawn bipartisan criticism. During recent congressional oversight hearings, Republican Senator John Kennedy expressed deep concern about the expenditure, stating, "A fifth to a quarter of a billion dollars in taxpayer money, when we're scratching for every penny... I just can't agree with it."
Federal procurement records reveal that DHS awarded a $143 million no-bid contract to Safe America Media, which then subcontracted with the Strategy Group. The CEO of Strategy Group is married to Noem's former assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, who recently left the department. On the same day, People Who Think received a separate $77 million no-bid contract for the same campaign. This Louisiana-based firm is operated by a political operative with previous ties to Lewandowski.
Lewandowski's Denials and Ongoing Influence
In an interview with NBC News, Lewandowski vehemently denied any financial gain from DHS contracts, asserting he made "zero, not one penny" from the arrangements. Despite serving as an unpaid special government employee without congressional approval, Lewandowski maintains significant influence within the department.
Internal DHS documents obtained by ProPublica show that Lewandowski routinely signed off on contracts as part of a department-wide policy requiring Noem's personal approval for all agreements exceeding $100,000. His signature regularly appears immediately before the secretary's on approval checklists.
Additional Contract Irregularities
Further scrutiny reveals additional questionable contracting practices. DHS approved a $250,000 public affairs contract with American Made Media Company, a political consulting firm connected to Lewandowski. The bidding process for this contract featured an unusually tight deadline, with proposals due just one day after publication. The requirements specifically demanded bidders demonstrate "an established track record of promoting Trump administration policies in the media."
During Senate Judiciary Committee testimony, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal directly questioned Noem about Lewandowski's role in contract approvals. When Noem claimed Lewandowski had no such role, Blumenthal cited internal records showing the adviser had personally approved several multi-million dollar contracts.
Political Fallout and Personal Allegations
The controversy has extended beyond financial matters, with persistent rumors about a romantic relationship between Noem and Lewandowski, both of whom are married. Noem dismissed these allegations during congressional testimony as "tabloid garbage."
Lewandowski, who has remained within Trump's political orbit for over a decade since serving as a chief aide during the 2016 campaign, confirmed he spoke with the president three times last week before Noem's dismissal. He maintained that contracts and DHS spending never came up in their conversations.
The Strategy Group has since clarified that it received only $226,137.17 from Safe America Media for production work on the advertising campaign, representing a small fraction of the total contract value. Meanwhile, senators from both parties continue to seek answers from the firms involved in the DHS contracts as the investigation into the controversial advertising campaign deepens.
