A senior adviser to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is accused of entering the cockpit of a government jet during ascent and later firing a pilot over a missing personal item, according to two people familiar with the incident.
Corey Lewandowski, a "special government employee" who advises Noem, allegedly entered the cockpit uninvited while the aircraft was still climbing and below 10,000 feet, when pilots are expected to limit distractions. A U.S. Coast Guard aviation policy states that "no person shall engage in any conversation or activity that could distract or interfere with a flight crewmember properly conducting their assigned duties during critical phases of flight."
