Overview
- A Wall Street Journal investigation, which published Monday, reported that Corey Lewandowski pitched senior officials in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates for paid work while serving as an unpaid special government employee advising then‑Secretary Kristi Noem.
- The DHS Office of Inspector General has an active probe into contracting during Noem’s tenure and is reported to be weighing whether to make a criminal referral to the Justice Department.
- Reporters say Lewandowski intervened in major procurements, including pressing for a one‑on‑one meeting with Palantir CEO Alex Karp as a proposed $2.7 billion blanket purchase agreement stalled and was later cut to about $1 billion.
- The coverage details that Lewandowski helped install allies inside DHS, including a FEMA contractor who was paid unusually large weekly sums and whose office was searched by investigators, and notes that Lewandowski and Noem left DHS in March.
- Lewandowski has publicly denied seeking foreign contracts or demanding payment, Congress has opened oversight inquiries, and the disclosures are likely to prompt reviews of special government employee rules and DHS contracting controls.