Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s chief adviser—and alleged lover—Corey Lewandowski reportedly made bonkers demands that seriously irked top officials at the department.
Lewandowski, who serves as a special government employee advising Noem, last year sought a law-enforcement badge and a federally issued gun despite not having undergone law-enforcement training, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
The request “rankled some senior staff at the agency,” the newspaper reported.
According to the publication, the Trump administration was set to appoint Tom Feeley, a former top ICE official in New York, as its new director. But when he refused Lewandowski’s demands to issue badges and guns to him and several other political officials, Feeley was passed over for the position.
The Daily Beast has contacted the DHS and the White House for comment.
Lewandowski’s close relationship with Noem has drawn scrutiny. He has been referred to as the secretary’s “gatekeeper,” and their alleged affair has been described as D.C.’s “worst-kept secret.”
Noem, who is married, and Lewandowski, her chief adviser and a former Trump campaign manager, have repeatedly denied the alleged relationship. In 2021, Noem called allegations of a relationship a “disgusting lie.”
The Journal’s reporting comes as both Noem, who has earned the moniker “ICE Barbie” for her camera-ready immigration crackdowns, and Lewandowski, face growing scrutiny and bipartisan criticism after the death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive-care nurse who was fatally shot by federal agents 24. He was the second American killed by federal agents in Minneapolis in the space of three weeks.
On Jan. 29, President Donald Trump appeared to skip over Noem during a Cabinet meeting, instead focusing his attention on Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler. Noem didn’t appear to be able to contain her disappointment; she looked visibly unhappy and was seen giving Loeffler the side eye.
Since then, Noem and her top aide have reportedly worked to regain favor with Trump.
Citing administration officials, the Journal reported that some within Trump’s inner circle urged the president to dismiss both Noem and Lewandowski, although the president has so far not been swayed.
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