For Kristi Noem, the price of love may be her job.
Donald Trump is reportedly considering firing his Homeland Security Secretary over the problematic employment of her alleged loverboy, Corey Lewandowski, The Bulwark reported on Sunday.
Three former DHS officials told the outlet that the president’s top advisers are increasingly frustrated with Noem’s problematic—and married—partner, and that for that reason alone, she may soon be shown the door.
“Things are f–-ked,” one former official said of the pair. “It’s horrible, they’re going to destroy this place. I’m just hoping the new secretary gets here in time.”
The officials said Trump may act in January, when Democrat Abigail Spanberger succeeds Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, whom advisers are now quietly floating as a potential replacement for Noem.
Noem, who is married, and her bumbling chief adviser have repeatedly denied their alleged relationship, which has been referred to as D.C.’s “worst-kept secret.” Lewandowski, a former Trump campaign manager, is also known as Noem’s “gatekeeper,” serving as a special government employee who travels with her, weighs in on personnel matters, and shapes enforcement.
During their tenure, they’ve faced mounting scrutiny for mismanaging funds. In November, it was reported that the pair ordered 10 Spirit Airlines jets before realizing the planes had no engines.
DHS officials, who warned Noem the purchase was impractical and that hiring additional flight contractors would be far cheaper, dug deeper and found that Spirit —which has filed for bankruptcy twice—didn’t own the planes in the first place and that the engines would have to be purchased separately, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Lewandowski has also spearheaded efforts to replace ICE leadership nationwide with Border Patrol veterans to impose a more heavy-handed, military-style approach to Trump’s immigration crackdown, including the hostile operation dubbed “Midway Blitz” in Chicago.
Because Lewandowski is an unpaid special government employee, he is legally allowed to work only 130 days per year. In August, Axios reported the White House was quietly investigating his gross undercounting of his days.
If Noem and her problematic partner are ousted, it’s unlikely Trump himself will deliver the news.
Last week, a Trump administration official alleged that Trump is fixated on “people lik[ing] him,” a detail that was reported in American Canto, a book by Olivia Nuzzi, New York magazine’s former star Washington correspondent.
During his first term, Trump—who attempted to trademark the phrase “You’re fired” in 2004—rarely delivered the news himself to his revolving cast of appointees.
Then-secretary of state Rex Tillerson learned of his ousting while in the lavatory, the Daily Beast reported at the time. Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, communications director Anthony Scaramucci, and White House staff secretary Rob Porter were all shown the door by then–Chief of Staff John Kelly, who later resigned.
The Daily Beast has reached out to DHS and the White House for comment.
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