Kristi Noem has been ousted as Homeland Security secretary, leaving her top adviser, Corey Lewandowski, to face an uncertain political future.
President Donald Trump fired Noem from the secretary position as she was in Nashville for a conference.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma will take over as Homeland Security Secretary at the end of the month, and Noem will move to the “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas” position as part of a new security initiative in the Western Hemisphere.
Fox News’ Senior White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich said she was told that Lewandowski will leave DHS with Noem.
Lewandowski has wielded great power at the Department of Homeland Security by Noem’s side as a special government employee.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that Lewandowski initially wanted to serve as Noem’s chief of staff, but it was struck down by Trump out of concern over rumors of a romantic relationship between he and Noem.
Noem called rumors of her having an affair with Lewandowski “tabloid garbage” during a House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday.
Noem and Lewandowski, both married to other people, have denied the affair rumors.
During their time at DHS, Noem and Lewandowski fired or demoted about 80 percent of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field leadership who had been at the agency for a long time before the pair showed up, according to a Wall Street Journal report from last month.
One unnamed DHS official previously told The New York Times that Lewandowski had a reputation for being willing to fire someone if he thought they were getting in his way.
Noem has faced scrutiny, including calls to resign, as she led Trump’s massive immigration crackdown. Criticism over her leadership reached a boiling point after Renee Good and Alex Pretti were gunned down in the streets of Minneapolis by federal immigration agents in January.
DHS officials believe Noem and Lewandowski see the agency as a mere steppingstone in their political careers, according to reporting from the WSJ.
Lewandowski was Trump’s first campaign manager in the 2016 election. He also served as an adviser for Trump’s 2020 and 2024 presidential campaigns.
Despite being at the center of several scandals, Lewandowski maintained a relationship with Trump.
In 2016, Lewandowski was charged with battery after he allegedly forcibly grabbed then-Breitbart News reporter Michelle Fields. But the charge was later dropped.
Trump donor Trashelle Odom accused Lewandowski in 2021 of making unwanted sexual advances during a charity event.
“Accusations and rumors appear to be morphing by the minute and we will not dignify them with a further response,” David Chesnoff, an attorney who represented Lewandowski, said in a statement shared by Politico at the time.
While it’s unclear whether Lewandowski will follow Noem as she embarks on the new security initiative, if his past jobs are any indicator, Lewandowski will not be leaving the MAGA world anytime soon.
The Independent has reached out to DHS for comment.
