Kristi Noem, the former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and Corey Lewandowski, her former top adviser, are reportedly facing a criminal investigation.
The Homeland Security inspector general has launched an investigation into Noem and Lewandowski over allegations that the agency awarded billions of dollars in no-bid contracts, the Daily Mail reports. Sources told the outlet that the inspector general has sent notices to dozens of people who were allegedly involved in approving a “wide range” of contracts, including ad campaign contracts.
No crimes have been alleged in the ongoing investigation, according to the Daily Mail.
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump tapped then-Sen. Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican, to replace Noem following reports that the president was “furious” with her over her testimony before the House and Senate.
At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., pressed Noem on her department’s large ad campaign aimed at discouraging illegal immigration.
“The president approved ahead of time you spending $220 million running TV ads across the country in which you are featured prominently?” Kennedy asked Noem during the hearing.
“Yes,” Noem answered.
While Noem said Trump approved of the ads, the president later told Reuters he did not sign off on the campaign.
Trump has appointed Noem to serve as the special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, a new security initiative focused on the Western Hemisphere. Noem thanked Trump in a post on X on Tuesday for allowing her to serve as homeland security secretary.
“In one year, the patriots at DHS delivered the MOST secure border in American history, 3 million illegal aliens have left the U.S., located 145,000 unaccompanied children, delivered disaster relief at a 100% faster rate, ushered in the golden age of travel, saved the American taxpayer $13 billion, and revitalized the U.S. Coast Guard,” Noem wrote.
Trump swore Mullin in on Tuesday as the ninth homeland security secretary.
“I look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with the 260,000 outstanding DHS employees and their families to keep our nation safe,” Mullin wrote on X.
The new secretary says his first priority is to “end the partisan fighting and reopen the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as a matter of national security.”
