An expansive inquiry by the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general into the handling of contracts under the agency’s former secretary, Kristi Noem, is scrutinizing her senior adviser Corey Lewandowski’s interactions with companies seeking federal business, according to multiple people familiar with the investigation.
The inquiry comes as administration officials have fielded complaints from companies about their dealings with Mr. Lewandowski, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions. They and others familiar with the inquiry spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.
Among the companies that complained, the people said, is Palantir, the data analysis and technology firm whose services have been used broadly by the Homeland Security Department, including for a new program to help track individuals for deportation.
The focus of the investigation by the inspector general, Joseph V. Cuffari, who was nominated to his post by President Trump in his first term, reflects the widening fallout from Ms. Noem’s rocky tenure. Mr. Trump abruptly fired her last month amid criticisms of an expensive advertising campaign that prominently featured her. The inquiry deepens the questions about the latitude she granted to Mr. Lewandowski, a special adviser who was not an official government employee and was supposed to serve in a limited capacity.
A spokesman for Mr. Cuffari’s office declined to comment, noting that it does not confirm or deny any potential ongoing investigation. Palantir did not respond to requests for comment.
A statement released by Mr. Lewandowski’s office said he was not aware of any outreach from the inspector general and denied any impropriety in his dealings with companies.
“Contracting decisions rest with authorized officials at D.H.S.,” the statement read. “When $15 billion has been saved for American taxpayers, he recognizes that entrenched interests may be resistant to the reforms which were executed.”
The Homeland Security Department did not respond to requests for comment.
Mr. Trump has grown increasingly frustrated by the attention that Ms. Noem and Mr. Lewandowski have drawn, according to people familiar with his views. The president’s anger grew when photos were released last week showing Mr. Lewandowski accompanying Ms. Noem at a diplomatic meeting with leaders from Guyana.
Ms. Noem is now in a new role as a special envoy for the Shield of Americas, a new coalition of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is unclear how the investigation could affect her tenure.
The White House declined to comment, as did the State Department.
The ouster of Ms. Noem from the Homeland Security Department was supposed to put to bed a year of controversy that has engulfed the agency, which has been driving Mr. Trump’s effort to fulfill his pledge to conduct mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.
The inspector general’s inquiry comes as the agency is seeking to move on with a new leader in Markwayne Mullin, the former Republican senator from Oklahoma who was sworn in as secretary last week. So far, Mr. Mullin has struck a different tone as secretary, keeping a low profile as he navigates a congressional fight over funding for the agency.
And the new secretary is already moving to distance himself from his predecessor.
In private, Mr. Mullin has been supportive of the independent investigation into Ms. Noem’s time at the department, in part to make clear who was accountable for any potential wrongdoing that could emerge, according to officials.
And on Wednesday, he reversed a policy instituted by Ms. Noem that required every contract over $100,000 to be personally reviewed by her, the agency said in a statement to The New York Times.
“This will streamline the contract process and empower components to carry out their mission to protect the homeland and make America safe again,” the agency said.
Mr. Cuffari, who was confirmed to his position in 2019, is one of the few remaining inspectors general after Mr. Trump fired or demoted many of them in his second term.
Mr. Cuffari clashed with Ms. Noem when she was leading the department, and he told Congress earlier this year that D.H.S. officials had blocked him from accessing critical information and databases needed for his investigations. Ms. Noem said at the time that Mr. Cuffari was seeking overly broad access to department information.
Mr. Mullin already has said that he will work with the inspector general’s office, according to a D.H.S. official.
The inspector general’s inquiry is intensifying the spotlight on the tight grip that Ms. Noem and Mr. Lewandowski had on contracts inside the agency, and the concerns among homeland security officials that Mr. Lewandowski was trying to enrich himself through his role, as The Times previously reported.
Mr. Cuffari is also examining the actions of people with potential connections to Mr. Lewandowski in various agencies throughout the department, which encompasses immigration enforcement, the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Secret Service and the Coast Guard.
NBC News has reported that Mr. Lewandowski demanded payments from GEO Group, a major contractor that runs private detention facilities, based on its business with the Homeland Security Department.
Adam Trigg, a lawyer for Mr. Lewandowski, has denied that. “Mr. Lewandowski adamantly denies ever demanding any payment or compensation from any potential, former or current government contractor,” Mr. Trigg said in a statement last month.
As part of Mr. Cuffari’s examination, the existence of which was previously reported by CNN, D.H.S. officials have been instructed to preserve all emails and communications pertaining to contracts, according to two officials.
The inspector general is scrutinizing a wide range of activities, including the actions of Kara Voorhies, a contractor at FEMA who worked closely with Ms. Noem and Mr. Lewandowski, court filings indicate.
Lawyers for the department told a federal court last week that the agency was not in possession of Ms. Voorhies’s government-issued phones, which had been placed under an inspector general “preservation notice” some time before March 20.
Ms. Voorhies could not be reached for comment. The Wall Street Journal previously reported the inspector general’s focus on her work.
Ms. Voorhies is no longer employed at FEMA or the Homeland Security Department, the filing said. She left the agency in mid-March, according to two people familiar with her departure.
Before joining the disaster agency last year, Ms. Voorhies had worked since 2014 for Crest Investment Company, a Houston-based financial firm, most recently as chief financial officer, according to an archived version of her since-deleted LinkedIn page.
While at FEMA, she was involved in varied aspects of its disaster work, including contract and grant reviews, according to three people familiar with her work.
Emails shared with The Times show Ms. Voorhies was among a small group of FEMA leaders copied on approvals of contracts, including for search and rescue teams in the days after deadly July 4 floods in Texas, as well as requests for employee travel during the ongoing partial government shutdown.
Last month, Antoine McCord, the Homeland Security Department’s chief information officer, sent an email to FEMA employees reminding them of department policy and federal law requiring preservation of “electronic messaging records,” according to a copy obtained by The Times. The rules apply to emails, Signal messages, texts and “any tools used to communicate for work,” the message said.
Christopher Flavelle contributed reporting.
Hamed Aleaziz covers the Department of Homeland Security and immigration policy for The Times.
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