{"id":199128,"date":"2026-03-09T05:02:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T09:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tetrabulletin.com\/?p=199128"},"modified":"2026-03-09T05:02:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T09:02:00","slug":"kristi-noem-misled-congress-about-corey-lewandowskis-role-in-dhs-contracts-propublica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tetrabulletin.com\/?p=199128","title":{"rendered":"Kristi Noem Misled Congress About Corey Lewandowski\u2019s Role in DHS Contracts \u2014 ProPublica"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-propublica-iframe bb--size-small-right\">\n<p>\n\t\t<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/iframe.propublica.net\/iframe\/16a013b2-554a-488c-804c-df9bc56d4447?width=752&amp;height=423\" id=\"iframe-16a013b2-554a-488c-804c-df9bc56d4447\" width=\"752\" height=\"423\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" class=\"iframe-embed\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem misled Congress on Tuesday about the powers of her controversial top aide Corey Lewandowski, according to records reviewed by ProPublica and four current and former DHS officials.<\/p>\n<p>Lewandowski has an unusual role at DHS, where he is not a paid government employee but is nonetheless acting as a top official, helping Noem run the sprawling agency. For months, members of Congress have asked the agency to detail the scope of his work and authority.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c-span.org\/program\/senate-committee\/homeland-security-secy-noem-testifies-on-agency-oversight\/674062\">Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday<\/a>, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., asked Noem whether Lewandowski has \u201ca role in approving contracts\u201d at DHS. Noem responded with a flat denial: \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But internal DHS records reviewed by ProPublica contradict Noem\u2019s Senate testimony. The records show Lewandowski personally approved a multimillion-dollar equipment contract at the agency last summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That was not a one-off. Lewandowski has approved numerous contracts at DHS and often needs to sign off on large ones before any money goes out the door, the current and former department employees said.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, Noem <a href=\"https:\/\/federalnewsnetwork.com\/acquisition-policy\/2025\/06\/absolutely-nuts-dhs-secretary-to-review-all-contract-and-grant-awards-over-100k\/\">imposed a new policy<\/a> that consolidated her and her top aides\u2019 power over all spending at DHS, requiring that she personally review and approve all contracts above $100,000. Before the contracts reach Noem, they must be approved by a series of political appointees, who each sign or initial a checklist sometimes referred to internally as a routing sheet. Typically, the last name on the checklist before Noem\u2019s is Lewandowski\u2019s, the DHS officials said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-propublica-lead-in\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-noem-denies-that-lewandowski-has-a-role-in-approving-contracts-at-dhs\">Noem Denies That Lewandowski Has \u201ca Role in Approving Contracts\u201d at DHS<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video controls=\"\" poster=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Noem-C-Span-Still.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Noem-C-Span.mp4\"\/><figcaption class=\"attribution\"><span class=\"attribution__credit\">Via C-Span<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Under <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/crs_external_products\/RL\/PDF\/98-808\/98-808.13.pdf\">federal law<\/a>, it is a crime to \u201cknowingly and willfully\u201d make a false statement to Congress. But in practice, it is rarely prosecuted.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement, a DHS spokesperson reiterated Noem\u2019s claim. \u201cMr. Lewandowski does NOT play a role in approving contracts,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cMr. Lewandowski does not receive a salary or any federal government benefits. He volunteers his time to serve the American people.\u201d Lewandowski did not respond to a request for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Several <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/policy\/chaos-kristi-noem-homeland-security-f095ac95\">news outlets<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/08\/27\/tk-00527043\">including Politico<\/a>, have previously reported on aspects of Lewandowski\u2019s involvement in contracting at DHS.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/08\/21\/us\/kristi-noem-spending-contracts-homeland-security-department.html\">widespread reports<\/a> of delays caused by the new contract approval process at the agency, which has responsibilities spanning from immigration enforcement to disaster relief to airport security. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dhs.gov\/news\/2025\/08\/22\/secretary-noem-delivers-12-billion-savings-american-people-200-days\">DHS has asserted<\/a> that the review process saved taxpayers billions of dollars.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A similar sign-off process exists for other policy decisions at DHS. One of the checklists, about rolling back protections for Haitians in the U.S., emerged in litigation last year. It featured the signatures of several top DHS advisers. Under them was Lewandowski\u2019s signature, and then Noem\u2019s.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-propublica-position-medium bb--size-medium\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" js-autosizes=\"\" height=\"1025\" width=\"752\" src=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/corey-sign-off-doc-scrim.jpg?w=752\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-69448\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/corey-sign-off-doc-scrim.jpg 1330w, https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/corey-sign-off-doc-scrim.jpg?resize=220,300 220w, https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/corey-sign-off-doc-scrim.jpg?resize=768,1046 768w, https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/corey-sign-off-doc-scrim.jpg?resize=752,1025 752w, https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/corey-sign-off-doc-scrim.jpg?resize=1127,1536 1127w, https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/corey-sign-off-doc-scrim.jpg?resize=863,1176 863w, https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/corey-sign-off-doc-scrim.jpg?resize=422,575 422w, https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/corey-sign-off-doc-scrim.jpg?resize=552,752 552w, https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/corey-sign-off-doc-scrim.jpg?resize=558,760 558w, https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/corey-sign-off-doc-scrim.jpg?resize=527,718 527w, https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/corey-sign-off-doc-scrim.jpg?resize=1149,1565 1149w, https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/corey-sign-off-doc-scrim.jpg?resize=1174,1600 1174w, https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/corey-sign-off-doc-scrim.jpg?resize=400,545 400w, https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/corey-sign-off-doc-scrim.jpg?resize=800,1090 800w, https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/corey-sign-off-doc-scrim.jpg?resize=1200,1635 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 752px) 100vw, 752px\"\/><figcaption class=\"attribution\"><span class=\"attribution__caption\">An internal Department of Homeland Security policy document from February 2025 shows agency officials, including top aide Corey Lewandowski and Noem \u2014 referred to as \u201cS1,\u201d signing off on a policy change.<\/span> <span class=\"attribution__credit\">U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. Scrim added by ProPublica for clarity.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Lewandowski is what\u2019s known as a \u201cspecial government employee,\u201d a designation historically used to let experts serve in government for limited periods without having to give up their outside jobs. (At the beginning of the Trump administration, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/02\/13\/nx-s1-5293124\/special-government-employee-trump-musk-doge\">Elon Musk was one<\/a>, too.) Special government employees have to abide by only some of the same ethics rules as normal officials and are permitted to have sources of outside income.<\/p>\n<p>Lewandowski has declined to disclose whether he is being paid by any outside companies and, if so, who.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/kristi-noem-dhs-misled-senate-judiciary-corey-lewandowski-contracts\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem misled Congress on Tuesday about the powers of her controversial top aide Corey Lewandowski, according to records reviewed by ProPublica and four current and former DHS officials. Lewandowski has an unusual role at DHS,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":199129,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-199128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tetrabulletin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tetrabulletin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tetrabulletin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tetrabulletin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tetrabulletin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=199128"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tetrabulletin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199128\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tetrabulletin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/199129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tetrabulletin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=199128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tetrabulletin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=199128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tetrabulletin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=199128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}