How Kristi Noem’s ‘Chief’ Corey Lewandowski Ran Her DHS Tenure into the Ground

Concerns about Corey Lewandowski’s role at the Department of Homeland Security came to a head this week with a series of public hearings that resulted in former Secretary Kristi Noem’s dismissal — but questions about the longtime Trump ally’s influence within the agency have been simmering in the background since Noem first took charge of the agency.

In March 2025, just a few weeks into Noem’s tenure, a White House official called a DHS staffer to ask whether he had heard that Lewandowski was using his influence within the agency to steer lucrative contracts to political allies and whether he had any evidence that would substantiate the charge, the DHS official who took the call told National Review.

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Audrey Fahlberg

Audrey Fahlberg was a politics reporter for National Review.

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Concerns about Corey Lewandowski’s role at the Department of Homeland Security came to a head this week with a series of public hearings that resulted in former Secretary Kristi Noem’s dismissal — but questions about the longtime Trump ally’s influence within the agency have been simmering in the background since Noem first took charge of the agency.

In March 2025, just a few weeks into Noem’s tenure, a White House official called a DHS staffer to ask whether he had heard that Lewandowski was using his influence within the agency to steer lucrative contracts to political allies and whether he had any evidence that would substantiate the charge, the DHS official who took the call told National Review.