A damning new report alleges Lewandowski ran the Department of Homeland Security as a ‘shadow secretary’ and attempted to solicit payment from Qatar and UAE
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NEED TO KNOW
- A damning new report from The Wall Street Journal details allegations that longtime MAGA operative Corey Lewandowski ran the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a “shadow secretary”
- The report also alleges he sought payments from the autocratic governments of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates
- Lewandowski has denied all allegations of misconduct, including a rumored extramarital affair with former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem
A damning new report from The Wall Street Journal details allegations that longtime MAGA operative Corey Lewandowski ran the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a “shadow secretary” and allegedly sought payments from the autocratic governments of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Lewandowski’s role was officially an unpaid “special government employee” and was never confirmed by the Senate for any leadership position in the department that President Donald Trump has poured tens of billions of dollars into as it carries out his violent and deadly mass deportation campaign.
Lewandowski — Trump’s onetime campaign manager and the rumored lover of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — was ousted when Noem, the former South Dakota governor, was fired earlier this year.
But the Journal reported on Monday, Sept. 7, that the DHS inspector general is investigating Lewandowski’s tenure at the department and considering a criminal referral to the Justice Department. The White House and Noem’s successor, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, have been briefed on the investigation, according to the report.
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The report alleges that Lewandowski micro-managed the process of awarding the smallest DHS grants to multi-billion-dollar deals, directly approached Qatar and UAE to hire him on the side, installed allies in key positions, and pivoted DHS’ focus from the homeland and Latin America to the Middle East.
The Journal reported that Noem and Lewandowski frequently traveled to the region amid rumors and public speculation about an extramarital relationship — which they both have repeatedly and publicly denied. Trips included a May 2025 visit to Bahrain and Israel and a December 2025 trip to Jordan, Abu Dhabi and Qatar as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations were riling Minneapolis.
“This latest Wall Street Journal story, a once great publication, is today just another example of the kind of anonymous-source, politically driven reporting that Americans have seen time and again,” Lewandowski wrote on X on Tuesday, Sept. 8, in response to the report. “I’m tremendously proud of my work as a volunteer in advancing this administration’s agenda and remain confident that the facts and not anonymous accusations will ultimately speak for themselves.”
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Lewandowski is now working in the private sector as a consultant for foreign governments like the authoritarian monarchy of Bahrain, according to the Journal. He did not comment on specific allegations in the report, but questioned the Journal’s integrity and methods, writing “the whole story is fiction.”
“On the week of the 25th Anniversary of 9/11 you would think the WSJ would be more interested in how our homeland has become secure as opposed to the innuendo fake news story they published today,” he added on X. “What’s more amazing is after 5 months of working on a story, they don’t have ONE on the record source – Because the whole story is fiction.”
Lewandowski’s representatives referred PEOPLE to his social media posts when reached for comment on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for Lewandowski told the Journal that he “adamantly denies ever demanding any payment or compensation from any potential, former, or current government contractor or seeking or soliciting or entering contracts with foreign governments while volunteering his time with DHS,” and that “Lewandowski denies any wrongdoing.”
The Journal reported Lewandowski’s representatives did not respond to other detailed questions.
The White House referred PEOPLE’s request for comment on Tuesday to DHS, which did not immediately respond to an inquiry. The inspector general’s office also did not immediately respond on Tuesday.
Noem also did not immediately respond to a request sent through the State Department, where she is now leading the president’s “Shield of the Americas” security initiative in the Western Hemisphere.
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“Shaking down businesses for money is naked corruption,” House Oversight Committee Democrats wrote on X. “We will hold Corey Lewandowski accountable.”
California Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight panel, accused Lewandowski of “shaking down contractors for kickbacks” in a March letter to GEO Group, the private prison company that has made billions of dollars from operating immigration detention centers.
The Journal reported on Monday that House Democrats are preparing an investigation for next year — if they retake control of the chamber — into Lewandowski, Noem, and DHS centered on the allegations of bribery and other misconduct.
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