Allegations of an affair between former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski first surfaced in September 2021, when the conservative outlet American Greatness reported claims from unnamed sources of a “months-long affair” between the two. People magazine picked up the story two days later. However, after Noem dismissed the rumors as “disgusting lies,” the controversy appeared to fade.
But the allegations resurfaced in 2023, when the New York Post and the Daily Mail reported claims from sources that the two had a longer-running relationship and had engaged in public displays of affection at political events.
Although the claims were never proven, I was still somewhat surprised when President Donald Trump nominated Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security, a role that required Senate confirmation. I was even more surprised when Noem later hired Lewandowski as a top aide.
While she accomplished a great deal during her tenure as DHS chief, she faced criticism along the way for her heavy-handed leadership style and what some described as diva-like behavior. There were also rumors about her feuds with border czar Tom Homan and others within the agency.
But calls for her ouster began to intensify after she publicly labeled Alex Pretti — the armed anti-ICE agitator shot dead by federal agents in Minneapolis in January — a domestic terrorist before any investigation into the incident had taken place.
Noem’s testimony before Congress this week ultimately led to her swift termination. Sources “inside and close to the White House” told the New York Post what finally prompted Trump to pull the trigger.
Trump was — as Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) put it — “as mad as a murder hornet” after Noem told senators Tuesday that she had the president’s approval to spend $220 million on ads featuring herself.
Perhaps you’ve seen the ad. It features Noem on horseback with Mount Rushmore in the background. Noem narrates the ad saying, “You cross the border illegally, we’ll find you. Break our laws, we’ll punish you. You harm American citizens, there will be consequences. But if you come here the right way, your American dream can be as big as these endless skies. From President Trump and me: Welcome home.”
But according to sources, the real “final straw” came when she deflected questions from House lawmakers on Wednesday about her alleged affair with Lewandowski.
The sources said Noem’s lie about the ad campaign was “a key motivation for Trump,” but “her poor handling of the affair query removed any doubt.”
“The question about the affair at the [House] hearing was actually the final straw. It was f—ing brutal,” one source said, adding that it was “widely seen as an admission that she was sleeping with her subordinate.”
Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) asked her, “Have you had sexual relations with Corey Lewandowski?”
“I am shocked that we’re going down and peddling tabloid garbage in this committee today,” Noem replied. “What I would tell you is that he is a special government employee who works for the White House. There are thousands of them in the federal government.”
Other lawmakers asked the same question and pushed Noem for “a yes-or-no response.” She refused to provide one.
An exasperated Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) told Noem, “I really think you need to say the word ‘no’ into the record so that you can clear that up.”
A second source agreed that her refusal to answer the affair question “was the last nail in the secretary’s coffin.”
“There was just no going back with the two hearings. It all became about her and him,” an additional source said.
It should be noted that Noem’s husband, Bryon Noem, was seated behind her during the hearing.
The Post reached Lewandowski by phone on Thursday. They reported, “he wasn’t sure what role the alleged affair played.” He told them, “You’re asking me to speculate on things that I have no insight into.”
Trump almost certainly knew the rumors of Noem’s affair with Lewandowski had been swirling for years when he chose her. But in Trump’s political calculus, loyalty, television presence, and a willingness to aggressively champion his agenda often matter more than whispered scandals. For a while, those qualities made Noem a useful ally and a prominent face of the administration. In the end, however, the controversies that once seemed manageable became too big to ignore.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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