President Donald Trump met with Homeland Security Kristi Noem and her top aide Corey Lewandowski in the Oval Office for nearly two hours on Monday evening.
The lengthy meeting comes as the Trump administration scrambles to contain the fallout from its disastrous immigration crackdown that has resulted in the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis, and the growing backlash against the Trump officials seen as responsible for the chaos: Noem, Lewandowski, Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
The meeting was arranged at Noem’s request, the New York Times reports.
Bovino’s demotion earlier in the day, which saw him replaced by Trump’s own border czar Tom Homan on the ground in Minnesota, fueled speculation that Noem and Lewandowski could be next on the chopping block.
The president did not suggest that this was the case during the meeting, the Times notes, citing two people briefed on the meeting. Also present were White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and Communications Director Steven Cheung.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and DHS for comment.
Lewandowski has been credited as the man responsible for the decision to increase the role of Bovino and Border Patrol in immigration enforcement operations despite his being classified as an unpaid special government employee who can only work 130 days in a calendar year.
Trump administration insiders have described the alleged extramarital affair between Lewandowski and Noem as the “worst-kept secret” in D.C. Both Noem and Lewandowski have denied the rumors.
The Trump administration is under increasing pressure to contain the backlash to its immigration crackdown, centered on the actions of law enforcement officers in Minneapolis that resulted in the shooting deaths of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, in the face of a potential government shutdown.
Sources in the Department of Homeland Security told the Daily Beast that both Wiles and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, the architect of the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies, have turned against Noem and Lewandowski, with Miller furious that Bovino’s tactics have become the focus of the national conversation.
Leavitt said that the president’s decision to send Tom Homan to Minneapolis did not mean that he had lost confidence in Noem’s ability to control the situation during a Monday press briefing.
“Secretary Noem still has the utmost confidence and trust of the president of the United States, and she is continuing to oversee the entire Department of Homeland Security and all of the immigration enforcement that’s taking place across the entire country,” Leavitt told reporters.
Noting that Noem also oversees FEMA, which is dealing with the winter storm that hit several states over the weekend, Leavitt added, “Border czar Homan is in a unique position to drop everything and go to Minnesota to continue having these productive conversations with state and local officials.”
Under Noem, ICE’s approval rating has plummeted, reaching a low of minus 27 points following the agency’s deployment to Minneapolis.
“I’m not really surprised that President Trump is sending Tom Homan in because ICE, DHS, and Kristi Noem have been a political disaster,” CNN data guru Harry Enten told CNN News Central‘s Kate Bolduan on Monday.
Noem finally agreed to appear in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday. Her appearance is planned for March 3.
