Kristi Noem is out as Homeland Security secretary following being grilled by Democrats and some Republicans during two days of contentious congressional hearings. Among accusations of financial mismanagement and impropriety, Noem was questioned about the nature of her relationship with a political aide, drawing the controversial Republican advisor into the spotlight.
Noem questioned over possible ‘sexual relationship’ with advisor Corey Lewandowski
“At any time during your tenure as director of Department of Homeland Security, have you had sexual relations with Corey Lewandowski?” Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., asked after prefacing the question with a long list of scandals and alleged impropriety against Corey Lewandowski, a former campaign manager to President Donald Trump who has previously been accused of physical assault and sexual misconduct in separate incidents. Noem expressed offense at the question, which she characterized as “tabloid garbage,” and went on to describe Lewandowski as “a special government employee who works for the White House” and as “an advisor and has no authority to make any decisions.” Kamlager-Dove defended the question as an issue of judgment concerning Noem’s leadership and the possibility of her having an improper relationship with a subordinate.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., again brought up the question of Noem’s relationship with Lewandowski.
“I want to give you an opportunity to answer on the record to Ms. Kamlager-Dove’s question,” Moskowitz said.
Noem called the line of questioning “ridiculousness,” adding, “The tabloids that you are quoting and referencing are insane.”
“This has been something that I’ve refuted for years, and I continue to do that,” Noem said in her most direct response to the question, while also accusing Moskowitz and the “socialist liberal left” who “attack conservative women and you say that we’re either stupid or we’re sluts.” Moskowitz followed up on questions from the previous day, raising accusations that Lewandowski has been improperly involved with contract decisions, as well as firing an administrator at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“I think the country needs a national divorce from you on biblical grounds. I mean if Donald Trump was still Apprentice Trump, he would look at you, and he would realize you’re the weakest cabinet member, and he would fire you.”
Trump announces Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin will succeed Noem as Homeland Security secretary
Noem’s alleged relationship with Lewandowski comes in the context of larger questions about her leadership and scrutiny over misconduct within the Trump administration.
On Thursday, Trump posted on Truth Social that Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., would become Homeland Security secretary, effective March 31.
He wrote, “I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), effective March 31, 2026. The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service at ‘Homeland.’”
Rumors of an affair, reports of mismanagement and more
Lewandowski served as a Trump campaign manager in 2016 and has a history of publicly denigrating Trump’s political opponents, such as former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. His longstanding professional and possibly personal relationship with Noem has been the subject of speculation for years. The Atlantic recently published excerpts from a forthcoming book by NBC News journalist Julia Ainsley, which states that Noem and Lewandowski’s “rumored affair has been widely treated as an open secret in Washington,” and notes that “the pair flies around the country together in a luxury 737 with a private cabin in the back.” Lewandowski has been accused of improperly involving himself in DHS operations and making erratic decisions; in one incident, he allegedly fired a Coast Guard pilot during a trip for accidentally leaving Noem’s blanket on a plane, only to reverse the decision because the pilot was the only person available to fly the return trip.
Noem, meanwhile, has come under scrutiny not only for her relationship with Lewandowski but for her overall management of DHS, which oversees agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. She is seen as largely responsible for conducting and defending Trump’s heavy-handed immigration crackdowns, which left two U.S. citizens killed by immigration agents in Minnesota, among other instances of violence.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., called Noem’s leadership “a disaster” during Tuesday’s hearing. Noem, meanwhile, is not the only Trump cabinet secretary facing accusations of an improper sexual relationship with a subordinate. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is under investigation for an alleged affair with a member of her security detail, while two of her top aides are on leave pending investigation of improper spending, and Chavez-DeRemer’s husband has reportedly been banned from the department’s headquarters after he was alleged to have sexually assaulted two staff members.
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