A new Wall Street Journal report alleges that Corey Lewandowski, a longtime adviser to President Trump, exercised far greater authority inside the Department of Homeland Security than his official title suggested, and may have tried to profit personally from that access.
Lewandowski served as an unpaid “special government employee” at DHS from roughly April 2025 until March 2026, nominally advising then-Secretary Kristi Noem, with whom he has been rumored to have a romantic relationship. According to the Journal’s reporting, officials inside the department viewed him less as a volunteer adviser and more as a “shadow secretary,” with influence over personnel decisions, immigration policy, and control over billions of dollars in federal spending. He was never confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
The report’s most serious allegation involves Lewandowski approaching senior officials from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates and offering to work for them privately, including help securing visas. According to people familiar with the pitch, Lewandowski told the officials to “hire me on the side” and said he could assist the Gulf states with matters falling under DHS’s purview. Both countries declined the offer, but the episode raises questions about whether he sought to personally monetize his government access.
The alleged outreach came while Lewandowski held an expansive informal portfolio at one of the federal government’s most powerful agencies, one that gave him de facto influence over billions in appropriated funds, the administration’s border and immigration enforcement agenda, and the collection of tariffs that have expanded significantly under President Trump.
The Journal report also details Lewandowski’s reported involvement in negotiations over a multi-billion dollar contract with Palantir, a long-running dispute with immigration contractor GEO Group after it declined to hire him as a lobbyist, and ties to a $2.3 million FEMA grant awarded to a small conservative nonprofit outside the agency’s usual process.
Ethics Rules for Special Government Employees
Justice Department guidance governing special government employees states: “Generally, you should not engage in outside activities, including employment, that conflict with your official duties. An activity conflicts with your duties if it would require you to disqualify yourself from matters so critical that your ability to perform your duties would be impaired.”
DHS’s inspector general is now investigating whether contracts were improperly handled and whether Lewandowski or people close to him personally benefited from the agency’s spending decisions. Investigators have reportedly examined his role in selecting contractors, including several large deals that drew scrutiny during Noem’s tenure at the department.
Lewandowski has denied seeking business or playing any role in the agency’s contracts.
The report has drawn attention across the political spectrum, with critics online describing the allegations as evidence of significant corruption at one of the government’s most powerful agencies.
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