A federal watchdog is examining longtime Republican operative Corey Lewandowski over his interactions with companies that sought contracts from the Department of Homeland Security, according to reports that mark a new front in scrutiny of how procurement and influence operated inside the agency during Kristi Noem’s tenure.
The Office of the Inspector General for DHS declined to confirm or deny the probe when contacted, citing a long-standing policy of neither confirming nor denying specific investigations, though it told reporters that an annual audit of grants and contracts awarded “through means other than full and open competition” for fiscal year 2025 had been launched and is now paused because of a lapse in DHS funding. The inquiry into Lewandowski was first reported by CNN and detailed further by The New York Times; PEOPLE published Lewandowski’s response saying he had not been contacted by the inspector general “to the best of his knowledge.”
Lewandowski’s office pushed back in a statement that “Mr. Lewandowski has never directed any company to hire anyone,” adding that he and Noem had pursued reforms that yielded $15 billion in savings and that “entrenched interests may be resistant to the reforms which were executed.” The $15 billion figure has been cited by Noem allies to defend sweeping contract reviews she instituted at DHS — a policy that required Noem personally to review and approve any contract above $100,000 — but that approach has drawn heavy scrutiny and was reversed by her successor, Markwayne Mullin.
The procurement review under Noem, and Lewandowski’s informal role as an unpaid special government employee with broad authorities inside DHS, are central to the new attention. Officials in the Mullin administration have paused a series of warehouse purchases initiated under Noem that were intended to expand detention capacity for migrants, a move that underscores how procurement choices at DHS are linked to immigration enforcement priorities and sensitive political debates. The warehouses have been described by critics as an expansion of migrant detention infrastructure initiated during the Trump years.
The investigation into Lewandowski follows earlier explosive reporting. Last month NBC News reported that a private prison company seeking DHS business was allegedly asked to pay Lewandowski to help secure large federal contracts; Lewandowski’s lawyer, Adam Trigg, called that report “absolutely false” and said his client “adamantly denies ever demanding any payment or compensation from any potential, former or current government contractor.” Trigg did not immediately comment on the inspector general inquiry.
The probe arrives amid a swirl of separate controversies tied to Noem and those around her. Noem was removed from the DHS post in March amid criticism of spending on a personal ad campaign — an expenditure now under separate congressional scrutiny — and has since been reassigned to the State Department to oversee a new Western Hemisphere security initiative dubbed “The Shield of the Americas.” A State Department spokesperson said Lewandowski is not expected to support Noem in that role. Meanwhile, reporting about Bryon Noem, the former DHS secretary’s husband, and his participation in explicit online communities has intensified public attention on the relationship between Noem and Lewandowski; both Noem and Lewandowski have long denied reports of an affair.
The DHS inspector general, Joseph V. Cuffari, a career watchdog with decades of experience in Defense and Justice Department oversight, leads the office overseeing the audit. With the formal audit on noncompetitive contracts paused by the funding lapse, investigators’ ability to move forward may be constrained. How aggressively the OIG pursues allegations tied to informal advisors and procurement practices at DHS could have implications for contracting rules and for the political accountability of noncareer officials who wielded influence inside the agency.