IN THE CROSSHAIRS

ICE Barbie’s Alleged Lover Put Under Criminal Investigation

The ex-Cabinet secretary’s right-hand man is back in the spotlight.

Former Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem’s alleged lover is back under the microscope—this time, by President Donald Trump’s own Justice Department.

The Justice Department is investigating Noem’s former top aide, Corey Lewandowski, over allegations that he profited from his position at the DHS, according to The Wall Street Journal.

A referral from the DHS inspector general about Lewandowski’s tenure at the department sparked the investigation, the Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper reported.

Lewandowski allegedly offered additional government services to Middle Eastern countries for his own financial gain and engaged in “shaking down” contractors seeking federal contracts for his own “kickbacks,” the Journal previously reported last month.

Some of the foreign representatives whom Lewandowski solicited were “taken aback” by his alleged offer since they already had traditional communication with senior American officials.

The GOP operative also oversaw all spending decisions of more than $100,000 and had access to the contractors DHS worked with.

The investigation is the first publicly known example of Trump’s second-term DOJ probing someone close to the president’s inner circle.

Reached for comment, a DOJ spokesperson told the Daily Beast, “The Department declines to comment at this time.”

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Lewandowski’s attorney, Adam Trigg, told the Daily Beast in a statement: “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.”

Lewandowski, 53, joined his boss and rumored lover Noem, 54, after Trump gave her the boot in March amid numerous scandals, including her $220 million advertising campaign.

Their tryst was the “worst-kept secret in D.C.,” as one FEMA official told New York Magazine last year. Both Lewandowski and Noem have long denied that they have been having an affair.

In July, the Journal reported that the DHS inspector general’s office found evidence that Lewandowski may have been involved in the improper awarding of government contracts. Markwayne Mullin, Noem’s successor as DHS secretary, was briefed on the investigation.

The investigators were astounded at how involved Lewandowski was in the department’s contracting process, despite only working in an unpaid capacity as a “Special Government Employee.”

The criminal investigation of Lewandowski is an unprecedented move for Trump’s DOJ, helmed by his former personal lawyer, Todd Blanche.

The administration has proven keen on prosecuting the president’s perceived political foes while its own members get a free pass.

Last year, Trump’s DOJ ordered Manhattan federal prosecutors to abandon their bribery case against former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who shared a cordial working relationship with the president.

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Vic VerbalaitisNight Breaking News Reporter

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