In a Wall Street Journal exclusive, Corey Lewandowski, the former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) aide and the first campaign manager for President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, is alleged to be under investigation for improper involvement in the distribution of the department's contracts.
As RedState reported, in March, mere days after former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was fired, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) sent a letter to Congress which claimed DHS officials had "systematically obstructed" OIG's ability to conduct its investigations into questionable DHS practices and operations.
Investigators have reportedly found evidence that Corey Lewandowski may have been involved in improperly awarding government contracts while serving as a special government employee under then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) July 14, 2026
Accountability matters.https://t.co/vOaERUuoDa
As my colleague Rusty Weiss wrote:
The letter documents several alleged instances in which leadership is said to have stymied the independent agency watchdog, including a critical probe into the Secret Service’s failures involving the assassination attempt on President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
What has been uncovered by the OIG thus far appears to point directly to Lewandowski and potential improprieties involving the DHS contracts processes.
Investigators have found evidence that Corey Lewandowski may have been involved in improperly awarding government contracts during his time as a senior aide at the Department of Homeland Security, according to people familiar with the matter.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and White House officials have been briefed on the inquiry, as investigators weigh a potential criminal referral to the Justice Department, the people said.
The investigation is ongoing, and a referral isn’t imminent, some of the people said.
As RedState has further reported, Noem and Lewandowski were a package deal, going as far back as far as Noem's South Dakota Governorship. Once both had been removed from DHS leadership, the OIG now appears to be able to do its work of oversight.
Lewandowski was a top aide to former DHS secretary Kristi Noem until March, when President Trump ousted Noem because of the drama and infighting at the agency. Lewandowski served in the role in an unpaid capacity, and took on a much more expansive portfolio than that status typically allows, The Wall Street Journal previously reported, including directing personnel and making contracting decisions.
The investigators are examining many of the contracts the department signed in Noem’s tenure, and department officials had been surprised at how involved Lewandowski was in the process, some of the people said. He personally signed specific contracts, according to people who reviewed those documents or had knowledge of the approvals, despite not technically serving as a full-time U.S. government official.
Lewandowski Allegations Could Influence Trump Endorsement in Missouri Senate Race
The Wall Street Journal also covered the murkiness surrounding Lewandowski and his relationship with former DHS head Noem. The cosplay and "ICE Barbie" promotional ads were allegedly at his direction, as was the disastrous 220 million dollar ad campaign which was instrumental in getting Noem the boot. Then there are the allegations of adultery: Both Noem and Lewandowski are married to other people.
After photos in the Daily Mail showed Lewandowski going back and forth between his apartment and Noem’s across the street last year, the secretary moved into a government-owned waterfront house on a military base in Washington that is provided to the leader of the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard falls under Noem’s purview at DHS during peacetime. Lewandowski also spends time at the house.
The DHS spokeswoman said Noem moved to the house for increased security and pays rent.
Lewandowski and Noem, who are both married, have publicly denied the reports of an affair, but people said they do little to hide their relationship inside the department. The DHS spokeswoman said the department “doesn’t waste time with salacious, baseless gossip.”
The pair have lately been using a luxury 737 MAX jet, with a private cabin in back, for their travel around the country, according to people familiar with the matter. DHS is leasing the plane but is in the process of acquiring it for approximately $70 million. DHS has previously used other planes through the Coast Guard or other agencies for the secretary’s use.
In an infamous plane "blanket" incident, Noem and Lewandowski had to change planes in the midst of a trip, and the pilot allegedly failed to transfer Noem's special blanket to the other plane, so Noem and Lewandowski fired him. They were forced to reinstate the pilot because they had no one who could fly the plane, and they needed to get back to Washington, D.C. The reported issues and allegations of terminations and harassment under Noem's tenure also point to Lewandowski.
Aside from the seemingly toxic Lewandowski/Noem partnership, Lewandowski's dealings within Republican circles have been rife with controversy. In 2021, Lewandowski was accused by an Idaho Trump donor of making unwanted verbal and physical sexual advances toward his wife. Soon after that, Lewandowski was removed from his role as chairman of MAGA Action. In 2016, when Lewandowski was Trump's campaign manager, he was accused of battery when he forcefully grabbed Breitbart journalist Michelle Fields when she tried to question Trump at a campaign event. There has been much documentation of Lewandowski's personal and professional toxicity, and every instance has managed to be glossed over or denied.
Mullin recently informed White House officials about the investigation and some of the findings, one of the people said. Mullin and his team have cooperated with the investigation.
In a statement, a representative for Lewandowski said Lewandowski denied issuing contracts while at the department and said he hadn’t been contacted by anyone regarding the continuing investigation.
A White House spokeswoman referred a request for comment to DHS. A DHS spokeswoman declined to comment.
This investigation appears to have teeth, and with Lewandowski's fall from favor in the Trump administration, MAGA, and Republican Party circles, he may have few, if any, friends left.
Editor’s Note: Help us continue to report the truth about corrupt politicians.
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