Kristi “ICE Barbie” Noem had a childish plan to get one over on her longtime rival, border czar Tom Homan, according to a report.
The homeland security secretary has taken steps to ensure she appeared on television more often than Homan, whom Donald Trump appears to trust more to handle the administration’s hardline immigration agenda. Sources told The Wall Street Journal that Noem frequently derided the border czar in front of her staff when she saw him on TV.
Noem also asked aides to bring additional people to watch her speak at a conference so the room would appear more crowded than an event Homan was scheduled to speak at on another day, the Journal reported.
Noem has been closely tracking how her national profile compares with other top administration officials ahead of a rumored White House bid, with Homan viewed as the main figure she hopes to surpass in power and influence.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the Daily Beast the Journal’s reporting is “categorically false.”
The lack of love between Noem and Homan has long been a tantalizing subplot within the Trump administration.
The rivalry was underscored last month when the presidet deployed Homan to lead on-the-ground immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis, effectively sidelining Noem after her disastrous handling of operations in the city where two U.S. citizens were shot and killed by federal immigration agents.
Homan, who announced Thursday that immigration operations in Minnesota would be winding down, gave a thinly veiled swipe at Noem as he outlined plans to “defuse the chaos” and ease anti-ICE tensions by withdrawing 700 federal immigration officers from the state.
“We made this operation more streamlined, and we established a unified chain of command so everybody knows what’s going on,” Homan said. “This is smart law enforcement, and smart law enforcement makes us safer.”
Tensions between Homan and Noem are so severe that the border czar barely speaks to the DHS chief. Homan has also repeatedly complained to White House officials about Noem’s relationship with her top aide, Cory Lewandowski, with whom she has long been rumored to be having an affair.
The Journal’s report on the “chaos” at DHS also provided salacious details on the alleged extramarital relationship between Noem and Lewandowski, which insiders have described as the “worst-kept secret in D.C.”
According to the report, the pair have traveled together on a luxury 737 MAX jet typically reserved for “high-profile deportations,” complete with a private cabin in the back.
Noem and Lewandowski have also been sucking up to Trump even more in an attempt to gain a tactical advantage over their rivals, including Homan.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
