Corey Lewandowski, the top Donald Trump ally long rumored to be having an affair with former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi “ICE Barbie” Noem, has been accused of trying to use his government position to secretly enrich himself through shady deals.
A damning report by The Wall Street Journal detailed how Lewandowski allegedly offered additional government services to foreign officials for financial gain, as well as allegedly “shaking down” contractors seeking federal contracts for his own “kickbacks.”
All this alleged grifting took place while Lewandowski essentially acted as the “shadow secretary” at the Department of Homeland Security alongside his rumored lover, Noem. He is also alleged to have wielded outsized control at DHS, including handling billions of dollars in contracts, despite officially serving only as a special government employee (SGE). He denies all the allegations.
One of the most damning claims in the Journal’s report is that Lewandowski approached senior officials from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates with a proposal to hire him on the side to carry out extra government duties.
This included helping the Gulf nations with issues that DHS usually handles, such as visas, sources told the outlet.
Some of the foreign officials were said to be “taken aback” by Lewandowski’s alleged offer, since they already had direct communications with top administration officials.
Under Lewandowski’s role as an SGE, he did not have to relinquish any of his outside salaries or investments before joining the government. Lewandowski is accused of using this arrangement to spin up moneymaking deals while in office.
Lewandowski, 52, followed Noem, 54, out the door at DHS after Trump fired her in March, as Noem was engulfed in numerous scandals and controversies. Lewandowski now works as a consultant, with one client being Bahrain, which signed a contract with him after he left office, the Journal reported.
An internal investigation also found evidence that Lewandowski may have improperly awarded government contracts while working at DHS. Markwayne Mullin, Noem’s replacement as homeland security secretary, was briefed on the DHS inspector general’s inquiry over the summer, and a potential criminal referral to the Justice Department could still emerge.
One such potentially lucrative contract deal involved Lewandowski and private prison company GEO Group, which was brought in to assist with the Trump administration’s hard-line mass deportation efforts.
DHS officials told the Journal that Lewandowski blocked the firm from receiving government contracts for months, all while boasting about forcing GEO to accept less business while adding new immigration detention contracts during Trump’s second term.
Lewandowski was previously accused of requesting payment from GEO Group as it hoped to renew contracts with the government, NBC News reported. In a letter to GEO Chairman George Zoley, California Rep. Robert Garcia accused Lewandowski of “shaking down contractors for kickbacks” while working at DHS.
Lewandowski is also accused of having a major role in a sprawling $2.7 billion contract negotiation with data-analysis company Palantir. He is alleged to have insisted on personally attending one-to-one meetings with Palantir CEO Alex Karp, then having the $2.7 billion blanket purchase agreement reduced to $1 billion without explanation.
There have already been concerns about Lewandowski’s potential grifting and outsized role while serving as an SGE at DHS. This included claims that he created an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy by inserting himself into the approval process for all DHS contracts and grants over $100,000.
Those within the Trump administration said implementing the bottleneck was seen as a way for Lewandowski—whose alleged affair with Noem has been described as the “worst-kept secret” in D.C.—to “closely monitor” and decide which companies could receive government contracts, according to the Journal.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Lewandowski denied several allegations detailed in the report, including that he had “sought contracts with foreign governments” or had a role in contract review or approval at DHS.
The representative added that Lewandowski “adamantly denies ever demanding any payment or compensation from any potential, former, or current government contractor or seeking or soliciting or entering contracts with foreign governments while volunteering his time with DHS,” and that “Lewandowski denies any wrongdoing.”
Both Lewandowski and Noem have also long denied that they have been having an affair.
The Daily Beast has contacted Lewandowski and the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
