Overview
- Photographs and video obtained by TMZ show Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski biking along Lake Minnetonka and dining at outdoor tables in Wayzata on Tuesday, August 4.
- Footage and an eyewitness account describe the pair laughing, sitting close and appearing relaxed during the outing, and journalists say requests for comment went unanswered.
- Rumors of a romantic relationship between Noem and Lewandowski have circulated for years and both have previously denied those claims during public questioning.
- Lewandowski served as an unpaid special government employee advising Noem at the Department of Homeland Security and later left the department, a fact that has previously drawn congressional attention.
- Coverage mixes verified visuals from TMZ with tabloid reports about Noem’s marriage and divorce that rely on unnamed sources, and the differing sourcing has shaped how outlets frame the political and personal stakes.