Corey Lewandowski played such an disproportionate role in the Ministry of Internal Security (DHS) that some employees describe him as “shadow secretary” by Kristi Noem.
The former campaign director and principal advisor to President Donald Trump was originally to serve as a chief of staff to Noem, but Trump and his best advisers were uncomfortable with the arrangement because their relationship has long been a source of tabloid fodder, according to a new report in the Wall Street Journal.
For years, Trump’s loyalists – both of whom were married – have denied rumors of a romantic relationship. Lewandowski said he wanted to work for the DHS because his first wife was killed during the September 11 terrorist attacks.
He agreed to connect as an employee of the special government – a temporary employment status which allows employees of the private sector to work within the government without disclosing or abandoning their other commercial interests.
Officially, the post of chief of staff is still vacant, but in practice, Lewandowski has become Noem de facto chief of staff, rarely leaving his team, according to the Newspaper.
He travels with her to meet world leaders, accompanying her in Salvador, Mexico and Colombia. He participated in high -level political meetings and advises Noem on staff decisions. He organizes entrepreneurs’ meetings and examines contracts. And it provides Noem meetings with DHS officials and lobbyists.
Often, he is the only person who accompanies him to meetings, said sources Newspaper.
Asked about his unusually active role in the department, he told the newspaper: “It is surprising that you wrote a story on a volunteer.”
Earlier this month, the New York Post reported that Lewandowski had joined Noem for an immigration descent and customs application and presented himself to federal agents as “chief of staff”. The DHS later said that he was adviser to the department.
The two started working together in 2019 after attending a high-sea fishing trip organized by the deceased-moillionaire Gop Foster Fester Friess. Lewandowski helped Noem build a national profile, presenting it to the main republican donors and politicians, and brought it to Trump’s orbit.
He pushed Trump to choose Noem as a running mate, and when it failed, he would have encouraged his former boss to make his secretary to internal security despite his limited experience with immigration problems.
Lewandowski denied having played a role in Noem’s selection.
“The president makes his own decisions,” he told Newspaper.
