Kristi Noem is leaning on her alleged lover, Corey Lewandowski, to be her PR fixer amid the fallout from her husband’s secret cross-dressing life revelations.
Lewandowski, the ex-DHS secretary’s de facto chief of staff with whom she is rumored to be having an affair, has stuck by her side as a steady hand after it was revealed that her husband, Bryon Noem, shares her penchant for dressing up, the New York Post reports.
Sources told the outlet that Lewandowski, 52, has moved into damage-control mode and is orchestrating the response to the revelations—all while continuing to live with Noem, 54, at a military base house in Washington, D.C., usually occupied by the top Coast Guard official.
An unnamed spokesperson for the staunchly anti-drag Noem claimed she was “devastated” by the Daily Mail’s report about her husband’s “bimbofication” fetish on Tuesday, adding that “the family was blindsided by this.”
But Bryon, a 56-year-old South Dakota insurance executive, told The New York Times on Wednesday that he plans to tell his side of the story, potentially unraveling any PR strategy Noem and Lewandowski may have in place.
“I will at some point. Today is not the day. I appreciate your heart,” said Bryon, who reportedly adopted an online alter ego as a “bimbo,” complete with fake boobs and skintight leggings, to chat with adult performers—allegedly paying them thousands of dollars.
Noem has long been dogged by rumors of a years-long affair with Lewandowski—himself married with children—earning a reputation as the “worst-kept secret in D.C.” Some of Bryon’s family members were previously quoted saying the alleged affair had left him “humiliated” even as he felt it was his religious responsibility to stand by his wife.
The newest revelations about the Noems’ marriage cut sharply against the couple’s carefully curated image of devout, traditional values—and could undercut Kristi’s political brand.
Noem—dubbed “ICE Barbie” for her love of cosplaying for the cameras in a variety of uniformed roles—has been hit with claims that she knew about her husband’s secret life, having reportedly told a reporter last year that her husband was gay.
It was reported last July that the former South Dakota governor and Lewandowski—who was Donald Trump’s first-ever campaign manager in 2016—moved into a Coast Guard commandant’s house at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, with a DHS spokesperson citing safety reasons.
They live in the home rent-free, The Washington Post reported in August. Noem earned more than $200,000 in annual salary as secretary, according to the Post. Her net worth has been estimated at $5 million by Forbes.
Trump, 79, dismissed Noem from her role as DHS secretary and also booted Lewandowski last month.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Bryon and Kristi Noem, as well as Lewandowski, for comment.
