Kristi Noem's Alleged Lover Corey Lewandowski Also Getting Booted from Homeland Security: Reports

This is the third time Lewandowski has been ousted by Trump

NEED TO KNOW

• Corey Lewandowski, a longtime Trump adviser, is leaving DHS after Kristi Noem’s removal as secretary
• Lewandowski was described as a “shadow” leader at DHS despite lacking a formal role
• Noem denied allegations of an affair with Lewandowski during a contentious House Judiciary Committee hearing.

Corey Lewandowski — a longtime adviser to President Donald Trump and a top aide to Kristi Noem — is reportedly also leaving the Department of Homeland Security following the president’s decision to remove Noem as secretary.

Multiple outlets including MSN Now, CBS News and The New York Post confirmed Lewandowski's departure. PEOPLE reached out to the DHS and Lewandowski for comment.

This is the third time Trump has cut ties with Lewandowski.

The longtime political operative previously served as Trump’s campaign manager during the early months of the president’s 2016 run but was abruptly dismissed in June of that year amid internal power struggles within the campaign. Lewandowski later returned to Trump’s orbit, only to be pushed out again in 2021 from a Trump-aligned super PAC after a donor accused him of making unwanted sexual advances at a Las Vegas charity event — allegations he denied.

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Lewandowski had been serving as a senior adviser to Noem at DHS and was widely described as her de facto chief of staff, despite technically holding the status of an unpaid “special government employee.”

Reports about a possible romance between the two have circulated for years, dating back to Noem’s time as governor of South Dakota, and resurfaced again as Lewandowski joined the department.

Both officials, who are married to other people, have denied the affair.

Noem was questioned about the alleged relationship while testifying about immigration enforcement actions before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, March 4.

Asked by Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.) if she "had sexual relations with Corey Lewandowski," Noem said, "I am shocked we're going down and peddling tabloid garbage in this committee."

She went on to downplay Lewandowski's influence, insisting he did not have any authority to make decisions for DHS.

"He is a special government employee who works for the White House," Noem said of the role, a designation that limits how many days someone can work for the federal government each year. "There are thousands of them in the federal government."

But Lewandowski’s influence extended well beyond a typical adviser’s responsibilities, The New Republic reported, with some officials describing him as the department’s “shadow” leader while Noem served as its public face.

The arrangement raised ethical questions inside the agency and among lawmakers, particularly because Lewandowski had no formal Senate-confirmed role.

Noem’s tenure at DHS had already been under pressure amid criticism of immigration enforcement policies, a controversial $220 million border security advertising campaign and internal management disputes before her removal.

Her exit, the first major Cabinet shakeup of Trump's second term, was announced by the president on Truth Social on Thursday, March 5. Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma has been selected as Noem's replacement, pending confirmation.

In his post, Trump praised Noem for "numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!)" and thanked her "for her service as 'Homeland.' " He also revealed Noem will be moving to the newly created role of "the Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere."

Behind the scenes, however, Trump reportedly was “not happy” with Noem after the secretary’s poor performance at her Capitol Hill hearing. He told NBC News on Thursday that he took issue with her costly television campaign, of which which she had told the House Judiciary Committee he was previously aware.

“I wasn’t thrilled with it," Trump said. "I spent less money than that to become president. I didn’t know about it.”

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