Kristi Noem's Rumored Lover Allegedly Made A Pretty Penny As Her 'Special' Employee

It's been just a few weeks since President Donald Trump officially kicked Kristi Noem to the curb, quickly announcing that she'd soon be replaced as the secretary of Homeland Security by Senator Markwayne Mullin. But, the looming consequences for her rumored beau working in the administration with Noem may be even worse. Gossip continues to swirl that Noem and her adviser Corey Lewandowski have been having a longtime affair. And, now, it sounds like working with his rumored girlfriend may have earned the political operative some big bucks too. Since Noem's firing, Trump has reportedly been asking around about a $220 million ad campaign that was launched during her tenure. 

Specifically, the president apparently asked about Lewandowski's possible involvement in, and potential profiting from, the oddly expensive campaign. It sounds like Trump has grown increasingly suspicious of him. And yet, Lewandowski seemingly had plenty of confidence in the fact that he was above the law with the divisive politician around. Lewandowski reportedly expected a big favor from Trump; last year, he told a New York Post source, "I'm not worried. I do whatever the f*** I want. DJT will pardon me." Likewise, apparently he "was telling people he was going to get [a] pardon so he didn't have to worry." This was possibly true then, but the president has since turned on Noem. 

Speculation about how Lewandowski made money during his time as her senior adviser may hint at why the political strategist was convinced he'd need a pardon one day. While Lewandowski is expected to leave the DHS too, during his time with the department, he reportedly requested payments from multiple companies in exchange for contracts.

From the sounds of it, any corporations seeking a contract with the Department of Homeland Security had to go through Corey Lewandowski to do so. And, in at least one instance, a source told NBC News, "He wanted payments — what some people would call a success fee" in exchange for the deal. In September 2025, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform wrote that, "Recent reports raise serious concerns about Mr. Corey Lewandowski's role at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a Special Government Employee (SGE)." 

They went on to warn, "Mr. Lewandowski's role at DHS appears to be expansive and reportedly includes acting as Secretary Noem's 'gatekeeper' and de facto chief of staff, controlling access to the Secretary, managing DHS operations, influencing FEMA grant decisions, and exercising the power to dismiss employees despite no clear authority to do so." Earlier this month, NBC News asked Lewandowski directly if he had acquired "any money from any of the contracts" that he approved while working with the DHS. 

"Zero, not one penny," the political strategist confirmed. It's clear, however, that suspicion around this topic is only growing. And, should his denial be proven wrong, time will tell if Lewandowski's faith that President Donald Trump will simply pardon him is justified.