The man alleged to be the secret lover of Kristi Noem fired a U.S. Coast Guard pilot after a strange incident involving a blanket.
Corey Lewandowski, who serves as a senior adviser to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary, fired the pilot after a blanket belonging to Noem was left behind on a different plane, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
Noem was forced to switch planes due to a maintenance issue, but the blanket she used was not transferred to the second plane, according to people familiar with the incident. In response, Lewandowski fired the pilot.
In another plot twist, the pilot was then reinstated after no one else was available to fly the pair home.
The Daily Beast has contacted the U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security for comment. A DHS spokeswoman who spoke to the Wall Street Journal did not specifically address the blanket incident, but said that Noem has “made personnel decisions to deliver excellence.”
The incident was disclosed in a report about Noem’s bad behavior during her tenure at the Department of Homeland Security.
Among the bombshell revelations is that the pair has been flying in a 737 MAX airliner leased by the Department of Homeland Security. The department is expected to buy the plane for some $70 million, twice as much as the seven other planes being purchased for deportations.
DHS staff jokingly refer to the plane as Noem’s “big, beautiful jet,” although it was initially earmarked for use in “high-profile deportations,” according to people familiar with the matter.
A DHS spokesperson told the Journal that the plane was used for both deportations and cabinet-level travel, adding that it was less expensive than military aircraft for such missions. Military planes are rarely used for deportations, with DHS opting to use chartered planes instead.
Noem, 54, and Lewandowski, 52, have been rumored to be in a relationship for years, despite both being married to other people. An exposé in New York Magazine said that it was “widely understood” the pair were involved, while one FEMA official described their relationship as the “worst-kept secret in D.C.” The pair has denied being romantically involved.
Lewandowski, who as Noem’s top adviser serves as her de facto chief of staff, has been scrutinized for potentially undercounting his work hours in order to hold onto his role as an unpaid special government employee.
His position allows him to work for the government for a maximum of 130 days per year without disclosing or relinquishing his other business interests, which DHS claims he does not exceed. Four administration sources told Axios in August, however, that they suspected Lewandowski had already exceeded the allowed time.
In addition, sources told Axios that Lewandowski occasionally enters government buildings with other employees in order to avoid swiping his own badge, and uses his personal phone for official communication in order to avoid leaving a paper trail on a government device.
Lewandowski, who previously worked as Donald Trump’s campaign manager during the 2016 election and as an adviser during the 2024 election, previously served as an adviser to Noem when she was governor of South Dakota, later following her to the Department of Homeland Security after her appointment to Trump’s cabinet.
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