Over the years, Corey Lewandowski has had no shortage of rivals in President Trump’s orbit.
Fighting for control of Mr. Trump’s campaigns, Mr. Lewandowski has been at odds with Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law; Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s former adviser; and Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff.
But through a combination of one-on-one flattery and fierce defenses of Mr. Trump on television, Mr. Lewandowski has always managed to stay on the president’s good side.
Until now.
The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into Mr. Lewandowski over accusations that he profited from his role as a top adviser to the Department of Homeland Security, according to two officials with knowledge of the situation.
Mr. Trump did not offer a defense of his longtime aide, the man he credits with leading him through primary victories during his first presidential run. But it is a rare example of an ally of Mr. Trump’s being investigated for potential wrongdoing during the president’s second term.
“I want my people to be honest, and if they are not going to be honest they have to be prosecuted,” he said. “If people are not honest, they’re stealing from me.”
The incident is the latest in what has been a tumultuous tenure for Mr. Lewandowski, one that has seen him repeatedly removed from — and then invited back into — the president’s inner circle.
Mr. Lewandowski and his attorney did not respond to requests for comment.
In a statement posted to Mr. Lewandowski’s social media account that spelled Mr. Lewandowski’s last name incorrectly, his lawyer, Adam Trigg, said that Mr. Lewandowski had “not been contacted by the Justice Department regarding any investigation, and he denies any wrongdoing when he was proudly serving his country in a voluntary capacity.”
‘Let Trump Be Trump’
Mr. Lewandowski first met Mr. Trump in 2014 at a political event in New Hampshire. Months later, the future president invited Mr. Lewandowski, who had never run a presidential campaign, to Trump Tower and offered him the job of campaign manager.
While some associated with the campaign wanted to rein in Mr. Trump’s more aggressive tendencies, Mr. Lewandowski championed the motto “Let Trump be Trump,” encouraging the future president to follow his instincts.
Mr. Lewandowski was fired in June 2016 amid internal friction with other campaign staffers and questions about whether he could bring home a victory against Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate. Among those who advocated his dismissal was Mr. Kushner.
During that time, Mr. Lewandowski was charged with battery for grabbing the arm of the reporter Michelle Fields. The charge was later dropped.
Unlike other former aides spurned by Mr. Trump, Mr. Lewandowski did not turn on his former boss. He promptly went on CNN to lavish praise on Mr. Trump. “He’s probably the best speaker that our country has ever seen for a presidential candidate,” Mr. Lewandowski said.
The move did not go unnoticed.
“Corey Lewandowski was great,” Mr. Trump said at a rally shortly thereafter. “I have to tell you, and he’s been very loyal, and he’s been on CNN and he’s really been fighting for me, which is very nice, and I respect that a lot.”
After leaving the campaign, Mr. Lewandowski co-founded consulting and lobbying firms, and always sought to maintain close ties to Mr. Trump.
In 2021, when Trashelle Odom, the former wife of a Trump donor, accused Mr. Lewandowski of battery and harassment at a charity event in Las Vegas, she said Mr. Trump called her to express sympathy and explain that Mr. Lewandowski had been “drunk.”
Mr. Lewandowski resolved the charges through a plea agreement with Las Vegas prosecutors that included completing an impulse-control training course and offering an in-court apology to Ms. Odom.
Mr. Trump’s team briefly distanced itself from Mr. Lewandowski. But soon enough, Mr. Trump welcomed him back into the fold, offering him the role of senior adviser for the 2024 presidential campaign.
“I just like him,” Mr. Trump told New York magazine about Mr. Lewandowski. “Corey’s a character.”
Power Struggle
During the 2024 campaign, Mr. Lewandowski clashed with Ms. Wiles and her co-campaign manager, Chris LaCivita, over an audit of television ad spending that was seen by many in Mr. Trump’s orbit as an attempt by Mr. Lewandowski to take over the campaign.
That power struggle, which was won by Ms. Wiles, left Mr. Lewandowski with few allies in Mr. Trump’s inner circle.
But Mr. Lewandowski had a different way into the Trump administration after the president’s victory.
Over the years, Mr. Lewandowski became close with Kristi Noem, the former governor of South Dakota. When Mr. Trump returned to the White House, Mr. Lewandowski began serving as a special government employee and senior adviser to Ms. Noem, who was then the homeland security secretary.
Working with Ms. Noem, he exerted significant influence on department operations and policy, such as by presiding over gatherings in the secretary’s office. The longtime Republican operative used his perch to build an expansive portfolio in which he had wide influence over personnel, contracts and the department’s operations on the ground.
But it was that role that led to his current legal troubles.
First, Mr. Trump ousted Ms. Noem amid scrutiny over department spending and high-profile contracts, including a $220 million advertising campaign, causing Mr. Lewandowski to be out of a job as well.
Then, this week, the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into Mr. Lewandowski following a referral from the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general, Joseph Cuffari.
Mr. Cuffari had been appointed by Mr. Trump as the agency’s inspector general in 2019, and survived a mass firing of inspectors general at the start of the second Trump term. He has faced harsh criticism from Democrats while in office, but has recently proved himself one of the more aggressive inspectors general.
Mr. Lewandowski on Friday attacked Mr. Cuffari on social media.
“This guy is a total fraud,” he wrote.
Should Democrats take control of the House after the midterm elections, they are poised to ramp up congressional investigations into the administration, and are pledging to look into Mr. Lewandowski’s actions.
Representative Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, has been investigating the sale of a luxury Boeing 737 that was later purchased by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, under the leadership of Ms. Noem and Mr. Lewandowski, for at least $70 million.
“Corey Lewandowski has been under investigation by Oversight Democrats for the corruption at the Department of Homeland Security, and holding him accountable remains one of our top priorities,” Mr. Garcia said. “We welcome the D.O.J.’s investigation, but our work continues.”
Nicholas Nehamas contributed reporting.
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