Corey Lewandowski, a close ally of Kristi Noem during their tenure at the Department of Homeland Security, appears unlikely to secure another position within the Trump administration after Noem’s dramatic departure.
Lewandowski, a trusted advisor to former President Donald Trump and an unpaid consultant to Noem, has reportedly been sidelined by the White House amidst several scandals. His association with Noem, who was recently dismissed from her role as DHS Secretary following a string of controversies, has come under scrutiny.
Noem’s termination comes after a series of high-profile issues within the department. She is scheduled to step down at the month’s end and will soon assume the role of Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas, a military alliance initiated by Trump.
The departure of Noem raised questions about the future of Lewandowski, who has been speculated to be not just a professional associate but also a personal confidant of Noem. However, White House officials have indicated to the New York Times that Lewandowski is not anticipated to receive further employment opportunities within the administration following Noem’s exit.
After Noem’s demotion, questions loomed over whether her top confidant and rumored romantic interest would remain in the department.
But officials in the Trump administration told the New York Times on Saturday that Lewandowski was ‘not expected’ to land another job following Noem’s exit.
Lewandowski’s tenure at DHS and his political career prior have been littered with controversy.
Lewandowski and Noem, both of whom are married, faced reports that they were in a romantic relationship. Noem dismissed the allegation as ‘tabloid garbage.’
Corey Lewandowski, a top aide to Kristi Noem at the Department of Homeland Security, is reportedly ‘not expected’ to land another job in the Trump administration after the secretary’s sensational departure
Lewandowski served as an unpaid adviser to Noem, who was fired as DHS secretary after a series of high-profile controversies within the department. He was also thought to be in a relationship with the former South Dakota governor
Noem with her husband Bryon. She called allegations of an affair ‘tabloid garbage’
Concerns have also grown that Lewandowski was approving government contracts and demanding payments from contractors.
Around 20 current and former administration officials spoke to the New York Times about Lewandowski’s overreach during his tenure at DHS.
Sources said that Lewandowski would hold meetings in Noem’s office, presided over Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, and was even referred to as ‘the chief’ by staff.
People familiar with Lewandowski’s role said he had a significant presence in the department and attended numerous classified briefings.
He was even said to have access to the president’s classified daily brief prepared for the secretary.
The brief is known to include highly sensitive national intelligence material reserved for the highest-ranking members of the administration.
Sources told the Times that Lewandowski often approved contracts over $100,000, a new policy Noem initially implemented to reduce government spending.
The approval process previously came under scrutiny as local leaders struggled to get disaster assistance.
Earlier this week, NBC News reported that the founder of a private prison group told White House officials that they were asked to pay Lewandowski.
Lewandowski served as an unpaid adviser to Noem, who was fired as DHS secretary after a series of high-profile controversies within the department
Lewandowski had reportedly been the nexus for Noem’s appointment at the head of the Department of Homeland Security, as he personally lobbied the president to give her the job. He is pictured in 2024 with Eric Trump
Sources familiar with the matter said that Lewandowski had a tense relationship with GEO Group founder George Zoley.
The two had reportedly been on the outs since the transition between Trump’s November 2024 election and his January 2025 inauguration, before Lewandowski officially worked for the federal government.
He told Zoley at the time he wanted to be paid in exchange for protecting and growing GEO Group’s Department of Homeland Security contracts, but Zoley told Lewandowski he would have no part in it, a senior official and three people familiar with the conversation told NBC News.
When Lewandowski then became a ‘special government employee’ serving Noem, Zoley sought to meet with him again, and secured a meeting in late February or early March 2025.
At that meeting, Zoley reportedly offered to put Lewandowski on retainer with the GEO Group, but Lewandowski said he wanted to be compensated based on the company’s new and renewed contracts with DHS – something Zoley declined.
In the months that followed, the length of two of the company’s federal contracts shrank and several of its facilities that could house migrants sat idle, even as Congress and Trump poured money into DHS to execute his mass deportation campaign.
GEO Group officials believe that is tied to their founder not agreeing to Lewandowski’s solicitations, a source familiar with the company’s thinking said.
A senior DHS official also claimed that within weeks of that second meeting, Lewandowski told him not to award any more contracts to the GEO Group.
Lewandowski is now facing questions about his relationship with Noem, which the Daily Mail exclusively exposed back in 2023.
Lewandowski, through a spokesperson, denied those claims, noting that in December 2025, GEO Group did receive a new contract for $121 million for services to help locate migrants.
‘This is absolutely false and did not happen – Mr Lewandowski never demanded any payment or compensation from the GEO Group at any time,’ the spokesperson said.
When asked whether he received ‘any money from any of the contracts’ he signed off on, Lewandowski also previously told NBC News ‘zero, not one penny.’
But Lewandowski is now facing questions about his relationship with Noem, which the Daily Mail exclusively exposed back in 2023.
He had been the nexus for Noem’s appointment in the first place, as he personally lobbied the president to give her the job.
Trump is then said to have appointed Noem as a favor to Lewandowski, who had a long reputation of being a Trump absolute loyalist.
Noem has repeatedly denied having any relationship with Lewandowski, but when California Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove brought up the allegations earlier this month, Noem seemed to try and avoid answering her questions.
