Corey Lewandowski, a top adviser to Kristi Noem, is out at the Department of Homeland Security, according to MS NOW.
Noem's scandal-ridden leadership of the agency came to an end Thursday, when President Donald Trump announced he was tapping Senator Markwayne Mullin to replace her, effective March 31.
While Noem has recently faced increased scrutiny about her actions as DHS secretary — which culminated in two chaotic congressional hearings this week — questions about her relationship with Lewandowski have also followed her throughout her brief tenure.
MS NOW reportedly confirmed Lewandowski’s departure Friday morning, following reports that he was expected to leave the agency alongside Noem.
It has long been rumored that Noem and Lewandowski, who are both married to other people, have engaged in an affair. Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that the pair had done little to hide their relationship inside the agency.
They have both repeatedly denied engaging in an affair, an allegation which Noem has called a “disgusting lie.” In a statement to the Journal, a DHS spokesperson said the agency “doesn’t waste time with salacious, baseless gossip.”
When asked at a House Judiciary Committee hearing if she ever had “sexual relations” with Lewandowski, Noem accused lawmakers of spreading “tabloid garbage.”
“Mr. Chairman, I am shocked we are going down and peddling tabloid garbage in this committee today,” she said Wednesday, which was also attended by her husband Bryon Noem.
Noem also described Lewandowski as a “special government employee who works for the White House” and said he’s an adviser with “no authority to be making any decisions.”
This comes afterThe Daily Caller reported that there were factions in the White House who did not like Noem and Lewandowski. The tension appeared to stem from Lewandowski’s attempt to get Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles fired from Trump’s 2024 campaign, a source familiar with the matter told the outlet.
However, a different administration official pushed back on this claim, telling The Daily Caller that Noem and Lewandowski’s relationship with the White House has been “cordial and respectful.”
Last month, Lewandowski was also reportedly accused of firing a pilot over a misplaced blanket while traveling with Noem. Two sources familiar with the incident told Reuters he entered the cockpit of a government jet and fired the pilot after it was discovered that Noem’s blanket was missing from the flight.
In response to these claims, Lewandowski told Reuters the sources’ facts were wrong and said that there was "never a conversation in the cockpit when the flight was taking off." The pilot was later reinstated, Reuters reports.
Lewandowski, 52, has long been in the president’s orbit. He was Trump’s first campaign manager during the 2016 presidential election, but was fired shortly before Trump secured the Republican nomination.
Still, Lewandowski has maintained a close relationship with the president, who is said to value his loyalty, the Journal reports.
The Republican political operative has also found himself at the center of multiple scandals over the last decade.
Lewandowski was charged with battery in 2016 after he was accused of forcibly grabbing a Breitbart News reporter, but the charge was later dropped.
Five years later, a Trump donor accused him of making unwanted sexual advances toward her during a charity event. David Chesnoff, an attorney representing Lewandowski at the time, pushed back on the donor’s allegations in a statement to Politico.
“Accusations and rumors appear to be morphing by the minute and we will not dignify them with a further response,” he said.
The Independent has contacted the White House, DHS and Lewandowski for comment.
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