Former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s closest advisor Corey Lewandowski is expected to leave the Department of Homeland Security after her shock firing.
President Donald Trump announced in a surprise Truth Social post on Thursday that Noem would be replaced at the top of DHS with Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin.
It came days after her messy performance at House and Senate committees – where she was forced to defend a $220 million taxpayer-dollar campaign designed to boost her national profile and answered questions about her alleged affair with Lewandowski.
She’s also been battling negative fallout after ICE raids in Minneapolis turned deadly.
‘There is no Kristi without Corey,’ one political insider told the Daily Mail.
Another source familiar with Trump’s thinking in the days leading up to Noem’s firing said Lewandowski would soon follow his rumored lover out of the department.
Controversy has followed Noem over her use of taxpayer-funded private jets to travel across the country with Lewandowski, who the Daily Mail has reported is both her lover and the man effectively running her department. Noem and Lewandowski, both married, deny the romantic relationship.
Noem was also grilled by House lawmakers on Wednesday over whether she is having sex with her rumored lover and trusted adviser. Noem responded by stating she would not respond to ‘tabloid garbage’ and called the accusations ‘offensive.’
The source noted that Lewandowski knew Noem’s tenure at DHS was nearing its end, but did not expect it to happen today.
‘He’s gone. He’s out. Corey knew this was going to end – he just didn’t think it would end today.’
A former senior DHS official who worked directly under Noem said conditions inside the department will not improve until Lewandowski is removed, claiming he was the one ‘pulling the strings behind the scenes.’
‘He is vindictive. He is not an honorable person. He was willing to bend the rules to do whatever he needed to make himself and Noem look good,’ the former official said.
Trump appointed Noem as a favor to Lewandowki, who had a long reputation of being a Trump absolute loyalist
Kristi Noem and her alleged lover Corey Lewandowski. Both have denied claims that they have been engaging in an affair
Kristi Noem is pictured with her husband Bryon
The source added that Lewandowski showed little hesitation in pressuring senior DHS officials and should never have been given a role inside the department.
Lewandowski was the nexus for Noem’s appointment in the first place, as he personally lobbied the president to give her the job, according to one source.
Trump appointed Noem as a favor to Lewandowski, who had a long reputation of being a Trump absolute loyalist.
The White House grew tired of weekly stories of scandal and infighting as White House chief of staff Susie Wiles had long had enough of her theatrics.
Lewandowski and Noem took an aggressive approach against the growing bureaucracy in the agency, which had become stagnant on immigration.
Top leaders were faced with the decision to either align with or placate Lewandowski or face the consequences of crossing or ignoring him.
Kristi Noem with husband Bryon Noem, from his official Facebook page
‘There was no greater friend and no fiercer enemy,’ one source familiar with the dynamic within the agency told the Daily Mail.
Ultimately, the pair made more enemies than friends in the upper echelons of DHS leadership, even as ICE agents felt empowered by the unvarnished support for their efforts. (edited)
The Daily Mail has contacted Lewandowski for comment.
Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma talked to reporters after Trump’s appointment
