Scandals Corey Lewandowski Has Been Caught Up In (Besides The Kristi Noem Affair Gossip)

Corey Lewandowski is almost always in the news for the wrong reasons. The former Trump campaign manager has weathered his fair share of scandals, and in more recent years, Lewandowski has been haunted by rumors that he's having an ongoing affair with Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Both are still married to their respective spouses. Lewandowski served as Noem's unpaid advisor during her tenure with the DHS, and word has it that he's also the one who convinced President Donald Trump to give her the job in the first place. 

As of 2026, Lewandowski is under investigation for allegedly charging private prison company GEO Groups a so-called "success fee" in exchange for granting them contracts with the department. It appears that Lewandowski wasn't exactly thrilled about working for free as a so-called "special government employee" after all. As Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee Robert Garcia, heading the investigation, pointed out, "Corey Lewandowski appears to have engaged in deep-rooted corruption at the Department of Homeland Security, and this massive pay-to-play scheme should concern all Americans," (via Oversight Democrats). 

Likewise, the ​U.S. Department of Homeland Security Inspector ‌General has also launched an investigation into Lewandowski. The political strategist is not in unchartered waters where these investigations are concerned, though. He's been the subject of concerning allegations on numerous occasions, and as it stands, Lewandowski's list of scandals will likely only continue to grow.

Over the years, disturbing rumors about Corey Lewandowski have consistently made the rounds. Two women have accused him of sexual assault, though the former Trump campaign manager has never acknowledged any wrongdoing. The first accusation surfaced in 2017 when singer and actor Joy Villa claimed Lewandowski had made unwanted advances towards her at an event in Washington, D.C. She alleged he had struck her buttocks "extremely hard," despite her telling him off. "I didn't know him at all," Villa told The Guardian after filing charges against the political operative, adding, "I only knew him by reputation. He broke my trust." She added that his behavior was "disgusting and shocking and demeaning." Nothing ever came of the lawsuit, however.

In 2021, Lewandowski faced similar allegations. One of Donald Trump's generous donors, Trashelle Odom, pressed charges after he allegedly behaved inappropriately towards her at a dinner in Las Vegas. Odom had the misfortune of being seated next to Lewandowski at the event. "He repeatedly touched me inappropriately, said vile and disgusting things to me, stalked me, and made me feel violated and fearful," she recalled to Politico of the incident. "I am coming forward because he needs to be held accountable." 

After leaving the room in an effort to get away from Lewandowski, Odom was followed, and he ended up throwing his drink at her and "called her stupid," as her attorney alleged. Lewandowski was fired from Trump's super PAC after the allegations surfaced. Odom later revealed that his attorneys attempted to offer her financial compensation to keep the incident under wraps. Odom did no such thing, of course, but Lewandowski managed to get off with a $1,000 fine and community service, and had to issue an apology.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

In 2016, Corey Lewandowski found himself the subject of myriad unflattering headlines after Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields claimed that he forcefully grabbed her as she tried to question Donald Trump at a campaign event. The political strategist denied having made any physical contact with the journalist. That was, until video footage of the incident surfaced, showing that Fields had indeed been telling the truth. Amid Lewandowski's initial denials, Fields posted a picture of bruises on her arm on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"I guess these just magically appeared on me @CLewandowski_ @realDonaldTrump. So weird," she captioned them. The former Trump campaign manager faced battery charges but the case was eventually dismissed because the court claimed the requisite evidence for a conviction was lacking. Lewandowski didn't show any remorse for his actions, though. In fact, in the aftermath of the incident, he took to X himself to rage, "Michelle Fields is an attention seeker who once claimed Allen West groped her but later went silent."

Corey Lewandowski has his own political aspirations, outside of just working for others. He hasn't really managed to fulfill any of them yet, and given his rap sheet, the former Trump campaign manager may well never make those dreams come true. Then again, many Americans have shown that they are willing to look the other way — President Donald Trump is proof of that. Aside from sexual assault allegations, there's something else Lewandowski and Trump have in common: They both lack a filter in front of the cameras. During a 2018 interview with Fox News, Lewandowski was questioned about Trump's immigration policy and how it was causing children to be separated from their parents. 

Former senior Democratic National Committee adviser Zac Petkanas was questioning him about "a specific case where a 10-year-old girl with Down syndrome [had been] taken from her mother and put in a cage," to which Lewandowski responded, "Womp womp," per CNN, which evoked a media firestorm. The political lobbyist made it even worse by refusing to apologize. "An apology? I owe an apology to the children whose parents are putting them in a position that is forcing them to be separated," Lewandowski reasoned in a subsequent interview with Fox News. 

He also claimed he hadn't ridiculed the little girl, clarifying, "I was mocking Zac." Late-night host Stephen Colbert tore into Lewandowski after the clip went viral, calling him a "former Trump campaign manager and d*uche in the headlights," (via YouTube). Meanwhile, Lewandowski took to X to complain about how he was being treated, decrying the incident as "fake news" and arguing he simply "mocked a liberal who attempted to politicize children as opposed to discussing the real issue which is fixing a broken immigration system," per Politico.

Notably, Corey Lewandowski's rumored affair with Kristi Noem wasn't the only tryst he's reportedly been involved in. The political strategist was also engaged in an extramarital relationship with Hope Hicks, a former model and White House communications director. Biographer Michael Wolff touched on the alleged affair in his book, "Fire and Fury." The author noted that Hicks and Lewandowski often traveled together in their capacity as members of Donald Trump's staff, and when the divisive politician fired him from his post as campaign manager in 2016, Hicks was reportedly very upset.

"Hicks sat in Trump Tower with Trump and his sons, worrying about Lewandowski's treatment in the press and wondering aloud how she might help him," Wolff wrote. "Trump, who otherwise seemed to treat Hicks in a protective and even paternal way, looked up and said, 'Why? You've already done enough for him. You're the best piece of tail he'll ever have,' sending Hicks running from the room." Hicks then went on to date former White House staff secretary Rob Porter. 

Both of the government employee's ex-wives have accused him of abuse, and New York Magazine reported in 2018 that Lewandowski had made sure the scandal made it into the public sphere because he was jealous of Hicks dating Porter. He denied he had any prior knowledge of Porter's misconduct and even went as far as to praise him to the Daily Beast. "I've never had a bad word about Rob Porter," Lewandowski said. "I think he did a very good job, and I wish him the very best."