A longtime adviser to President Trump is facing allegations he attempted to use his influence inside the Department of Homeland Security to secure private work from foreign governments, while also reportedly exerting enormous control over billions of dollars in federal contracts.
The New Report
As reported on Wednesday’s AM Update, a new Wall Street Journal investigation alleges Corey Lewandowski approached senior officials from Qatar while serving as then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s most powerful adviser.
At the time, Lewandowski was working at the time as a Special Government Employee, a status allowing him to maintain outside business interests while temporarily working for the government. He was also Secretary Noem’s top adviser and exercised extensive authority within the department despite never holding a position requiring Senate confirmation.
The Journal reported Lewandowski offered to work for the Qatari government on the side, telling officials he could help the country navigate matters falling under DHS, including visa issues. He reportedly made a similar proposal to representatives of the United Arab Emirates.
Officials from both countries are believed to have rejected the offers, with some questioning why they would need to pay Lewandowski when their governments already had established relationships with senior members of the Trump administration.
The alleged pitches came as Lewandowski and then-Secretary Noem repeatedly traveled to the Middle East despite White House officials reportedly expecting them to focus on domestic immigration enforcement and negotiations with Latin American governments.
Palantir Allegations
The Journal also reported Lewandowski’s influence extended deeply into the department’s contracting process.
Shortly after taking office, Secretary Noem brought virtually every DHS expenditure exceeding $100,000 under her direct control – a change intended to reduce waste and fraud but one, officials say, created an enormous backlog.
The Journal highlighted one particularly notable example involving data-analysis company Palantir. Executives from the company allegedly spent weeks negotiating a $2.7 billion agreement covering immigration enforcement, Secret Service operations, and other work. DHS initially pushed to finalize the deal before the end of the 2025 fiscal year, but the agreement instead sat unsigned on Noem’s desk for weeks.
Lewandowski then reportedly sought a one-on-one meeting with Palantir CEO Alex Karp – repeatedly requesting the meeting but providing no agenda. Lewandowski is said to have told associates he planned to consolidate the company’s DHS work and reduce its funding.
Palantir executives allegedly grew uncomfortable and canceled the Lewandowski meeting, but he was involved in a larger meeting with Noem, Karp, and other Palantir officials that eventually took place early this year.
The contract was ultimately reduced to $1 billion and signed in February. Palantir told The Journal it received no explanation for the cut.
Lewandowski Responds
President Trump removed Noem from DHS in March following months of turmoil inside the department. Lewandowski departed at the same time and sought another position in the administration but was turned down, per The Journal.
Lewandowski now working as a private consultant. Bahrain reportedly hiring him after he left DHS. It is not clear whether that contract had any connection to Lewandowski’s earlier government travel or contacts.
DHS Inspector General investigators are now examining possible improprieties in the department’s contracting process, including whether senior officials personally profited from their government roles. Investigators reportedly found evidence that Lewandowski may have participated in improperly awarding federal contracts.
Current DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and White House officials have been briefed on the inquiry, and investigators are now considering whether to refer potential criminal conduct to the Department of Justice. House Democrats also preparing to open a related investigation if they capture the House majority in November.
A White House spokesperson declined to comment on the Wall Street Journal report. DHS and a spokesperson for Noem also did not respond to the Journal’s questions.
Lewandowski, meanwhile, reacted to the report on X. “On the week of the 25th Anniversary of 9/11 you would think the WSJ would be more interested in how our homeland has become secure as opposed to the innuendo fake news story they published today,” he wrote, in part.
“What’s more amazing is after 5 months of working on a story, they don’t have ONE on the record source – Because the whole story is fiction.”
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