A clandestine meeting between senior Department of Homeland Security officials worried about Secretary Kristi Noem’s alleged affair with her senior aide has been revealed in a new book.
The meeting was held at a private residence in Washington, D.C., between senior DHS officials shortly after President Donald Trump was sworn in for a second term, NBC News reporter Julia Ainsley writes in her forthcoming book, Undue Process: The Inside Story of Trump’s Mass Deportation Program.
The Atlantic published early excerpts of the book’s revelations, including how officials met to discuss what they saw as a “gathering crisis” inside DHS: the relationship between Noem, 54, and her top aide and de facto chief of staff, Corey Lewandowski, 52.
Department officials were under significant pressure from Trump’s immigration policies, including promised mass deportations, Ainsley explains.
Their efforts to implement Trump’s policies were reportedly being complicated by Lewandowski, who is described in the Atlantic as “a menacing, omnipresent operator who had no experience in immigration enforcement, but who was nonetheless quickly consolidating power at the agency.”
During the six-hour meeting, the officials discussed the myriad ways Noem and Lewandowski’s alleged relationship could affect the department.
Lewandowski and Noem, both of whom are married to other people, have denied claims that they are in a relationship.
In response to a request for comment, the Department of Homeland Security sent the Daily Beast a number of rebuttals to claims made in Ainsley’s book.
On the secret six-hour meeting, the department did not deny the meeting, but claimed, “How unproductive-- these people are not busy enough implementing the President’s agent [sic] and have the time for a 6-hour meeting on drama they have manufactured themselves.”
On the nature of Noem and Lewandowski’s relationship, the department reiterated its usual stance, calling it a “tired narrative” and adding, “This Department doesn’t waste time with salacious, baseless gossip—we have actual work to do keeping the American homeland and its citizens safe. Something the last Administration failed to do for four years.”
Ainsley also reported that officials were reluctant to question Lewandowski for fear of retaliation or termination, quoting one CBP official who told her, “(Noem) would ask, ‘Why is everyone so quiet?’ when it was plain to see people were afraid to speak up in front of Corey. What are you going to do? Make an accusation? They’ll tear you apart.”
In response to those claims, the department said, “How silly. Mr. Lewandowski serves as an advisor to the Secretary. The Secretary, like all previous Secretaries, has various senior advisors who are smart and can speak for themselves.”
A report published by the Wall Street Journal earlier this month included an anecdote that involved Lewandowski firing a U.S. Coast Guard pilot after Noem’s blanket was left behind, only to be forced to rehire them after it became evident that nobody else could fly them home.
The same report revealed that Noem and Lewandowski had been traveling in a luxury jet earmarked for use in “high-profile deportations” that came complete with a private cabin in the back.
It also revealed that Lewandowski, who is classified as a special government employee and only allowed to work 130 days a year without disclosing or relinquishing his business interests, ruffled feathers when he sought a law-enforcement badge and a federally issued gun despite not having completed the relevant training.
As reports about what one insider called the “worst-kept secret in D.C.” have continued to emerge, Noem has increased the number of public appearances she has made with her husband, featuring him in a video shared on social media about the DHS funding shutdown and bringing him to a black-tie event at the White House.
The president has publicly claimed to have no knowledge of the relationship, telling reporters aboard Air Force One earlier this month, “I don’t know about that. I mean, I haven’t heard that,” and adding, “I’ll find out about it, but I have not heard about it.”
These public statements are at odds with his private behavior, however, with reports suggesting that the 79-year-old president has indulged in the salacious, baseless gossip himself.
Sources told the New York Post that the president “frequently” shares a story about Lewandowski and Noem drinking from the same can of soda, which Trump, a known germaphobe, described as a dead giveaway.
“You can’t do that, it’s pretty obvious!” Trump said, according to the Post’s sources. “You can’t do that, everyone’s going to know!”
