ROGUE ONE

ICE Barbie Busted Faking Her Credentials as Alleged Lover Probed

Kristi Noem’s “official statement” apparently wasn’t so official after all.

Kristi Noem’s efforts to put rumors about her job to rest have landed her in another controversy.

The former Homeland Security secretary reportedly “went rogue” and created a fake press release purporting to come from the State Department amid questions about her future at the agency.

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William Vaillancourt

In March, after President Donald Trump fired her as Secretary of Homeland Security, Noem was installed as special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, a newly created role that has largely kept her out of the spotlight—apart from her messy divorce and public outings with her rumored lover, Corey Lewandowski, who is now the subject of a Justice Department investigation.

Noem’s six-month role expired in September, raising questions about what would come next. Noem posted on social media last Friday to address the matter.

“The Special Envoy to the Shield of the Americas role was always a six-month appointment. Secretary Noem remains at the State Department as a Senior Advisor,” the “official statement” said.

The statement, which Noem also posted on her special envoy account, looked legitimate, but its official appearance was allegedly misleading. Two people familiar with Noem’s State Department work told Politico that department leadership had not authorized the press release.

“This was not a press release put out by the State Department,” one of them said. “Noem went rogue and created a fake letterhead to post on X.”

Neither Noem nor the State Department immediately responded to requests for comment from Politico. The Daily Beast has also requested comment.

Noem, 54, is now a senior adviser to Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, to whom she reported as special envoy, CNN reported last week. A State Department official told the outlet that Noem “continues to work on the Shield of the Americas portfolio.”

Despite her new role, Noem’s personal X bio still describes her as being “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas.” The link in her bio is also outdated; it directs users to DHS.

Noem’s Facebook page still lists her as special envoy.

As for Lewandowski, who left DHS with Noem, he faces a Justice Department inquiry into his time as her top adviser.

The inquiry, according to The Wall Street Journal, was prompted by a referral from the DHS inspector general. While the specifics of the referral are unclear, the Journal reported last month that the inspector general was investigating allegations that Lewandowski sought to profit from his administration role by asking Qatari and UAE officials to hire him privately to help with issues including visas.

Lewandowski, 53, denies any wrongdoing.

“Mr. Lewandowski has not been contacted by the Justice Department regarding any investigation, and he denies any wrongdoing when he was proudly serving his country in a voluntary capacity,” his lawyer, Adam Trigg, told the Daily Beast after the news broke.

Democrats who could assume leadership of House committees in the next Congress are eyeing both Noem and Lewandowski as potential subjects of oversight hearings.

Their personal lives could also come up in such proceedings. Though they have maintained that they have no romantic relationship, their alleged affair was described as the “worst-kept secret” in Washington.

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