The most powerful man in the Department of Homeland Security, Corey Lewandowski, was supposed to work just 130 days last year because he was classified as a temporary government employee.
- But thanks to creative timekeeping, he was there throughout the year. Now he's poised for a repeat in 2026.
Why it matters: Despite being listed as a temp, Lewandowski exerts singular influence in day-to-day operations at DHS — from billions of dollars in contracts to its unpopular immigration-enforcement tactics that have become a drag on the Trump administration.
- Lewandowski operates as the de facto chief of staff to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. He was her political adviser when she was South Dakota's governor.
- "Kristi is the face of DHS. Corey is the brains. He gets things done," one senior administration official told Axios.
Driving the news: Lewandowski's continued involvement in DHS became clear last week, when an Axios reporter saw him standing at a gate at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, speaking loudly into his phone as he appeared to discuss DHS vendors' contracts.
- One of the companies Lewandowski specifically mentioned, Palantir, was at the center of a Wall Street Journal exposé last year about his involvement in contracts while working as a "special government employee."
- Lewandowski also was overheard discussing a drone program.
What they're saying: "Mr. Lewandowski was traveling home, on his own dime, to be with his family," a DHS spokesperson said in a written statement. "He does not receive a salary or any federal government benefits. He volunteers his time to serve the American people."
- Lewandowski is "an adviser," the spokesperson said, adding that Noem, "like all previous secretaries, has various senior advisers."
- The spokesperson declined to elaborate on Lewandowski's apparent contract discussions.
- "Palantir has had a contract with the U.S. government for 14 years. Mr. Lewandowski has never worked with Palantir and has no involvement in any Palantir contract," the DHS spokesperson said.
Reality check: Lewandowski's work as a special government employee (SGE) is without precedent, according to ethics specialists — beyond the controversial appointments of Elon Musk and Anita Dunn.
- SGEs are supposed to operate as temporary workers and specialists who help out the government on a part-time basis, often for a specific project. They're limited to 130 days of government employment yearly.
- Usually that means an SGE stays for a little over four months, then leaves.
Not Lewandowski. In 2025 he was with DHS the entire year, claiming he worked only on select days.
- His work hours were so suspect that White House officials began tracking his time sheets, Axios reported last year.
- After a calendar year, an SGE can be rehired for another 130-day term. The DHS spokesperson confirmed that happened with Lewandowski for this year.
The intrigue: Lewandowski doesn't receive a federal paycheck. SGEs are required to file a financial disclosure form but many receive permission to do it confidentially, unlike other appointees whose disclosures are public.
- Lewandowski hasn't filed a public form, and Axios hasn't received a response to a FOIA request for documentation that would allow a confidential disclosure.
- The DHS spokesperson said Lewandowski has completed all the necessary Office of Government Ethics forms, including financial disclosure forms.
He is allowed to receive outside income, and critics of his arrangement say it leaves Lewandowski open to potential conflicts of interest if he were to accept money from vendors while controlling DHS contracts.
- Lewandowski, a former Trump campaign manager, has denied any conflicts of interest but won't say how he makes money.
- Even as an SGE, he's subject to conflict-of-interest laws and shouldn't be involved in any contracting for companies in which he owns stock, consults for or has an employment relationships, said Richard Painter, chief White House ethics lawyer during the George W. Bush administration.
- Painter said he had no knowledge of Lewandowski's finances but cautioned that if a government adviser were to own stock in a company or receive money from it while overseeing their contracts, that could be a "slam-dunk violation" of federal conflict-of-interest law.
Behind the scenes: Lewandowski is one of the most feared men in the administration because of his close relationship with President Trump.
- Lewandowski managed Trump's 2016 campaign for part of that cycle and was an adviser to Trump's 2024 team.
- After the 2024 election, Trump was concerned about rumors — denied by both Lewandowski and Noem — that the two were having an affair, Axios and other outlets have reported. The president forbade him from working as Noem's official chief of staff, which led to Lewandowski's SGE arrangement as a workaround.
- "No one can really control Corey," another senior administration official told Axios.
- That includes border czar Tom Homan, who's been feuding with Lewandowski and Noem.
The other side: Democratic watchdogs in Congress are skeptical of Lewandowski's work arrangement.
- California Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, sent DHS a letter last August asking for a full account of Lewandowski's hours as an SGE after Axios reported about his timekeeping methods.
- The letter also requested documentation on Lewandowski's role in hiring and firing staff at the agency, outgoing grants and any communications with lobbyists.
- A follow-up letter from Garcia to DHS and the Office of Government Ethics asked for a public financial disclosure from Lewandowski because of his outsized role in DHS's decision-making.
- "This stuff just makes Democrats' job too easy. No one is going to want to carry water for it when the subpoenas start flying," a source close to the administration told Axios.
