The Department of Homeland Security inspector common has launched a sprawling investigation into how contracts have been solicited and dealt with, together with the involvement of former Secretary Kristi Noem and her de facto chief of workers Corey Lewandowski, in line with two sources acquainted with the probe.
Noem’s handling of contracts inside DHS was one of the principle catalysts for her ouster by President Donald Trump earlier this month. Lewandowski’s micromanagement of the division, together with his involvement in contracts, was a persistent supply of stress with White House officers, NCS has reported.
The Office of the Inspector General beforehand introduced an audit into DHS grants and contracts awarded “by any means other than full and open competition during fiscal year 2025,” in line with its website. The inspector common, Joseph Cuffari, complained to Congress in early March that DHS management had been obstructing some of his work.
One of the sources acquainted with the difficulty mentioned the IG investigation that features Noem and Lewandowski is separate from the beforehand introduced audit.
In an announcement to NCS, a spokesperson for the DHS OIG mentioned its workplace doesn’t affirm or deny the existence of an investigation, and famous that its audit of some DHS grants and contracts is congressionally mandated and required on a yearly foundation. It is just not clear which particular contracts the IG is investigating. The OIG audit, the spokesperson added, is paused as a result of the staff handling the audit was furloughed as half of the DHS shutdown.
“Once funding is restored, this audit will be resumed,” the assertion mentioned.
NCS has reached out to a telephone quantity and e-mail deal with listed for Lewandowski for remark in regards to the inspector common’s probe. The State Department, the place Noem at the moment works as a particular envoy specializing in countering drug trafficking, referred a request for remark again to DHS.
During a pair of congressional hearings earlier this month, members of Congress, together with some Republicans, have been significantly important of the $220 million price of promoting contracts that have been doled out to advertise the company’s mission and which prominently featured Noem.
Noem defended the spending by saying these ads efficiently satisfied undocumented immigrants to depart the United States. But she additionally claimed that Trump had authorized that commercial spending, which the president later denied.
Noem additionally instituted a coverage that required her approval of any grants and contracts over $100,000, due to this fact requiring her to be learn in on a number of federal contracts for approval.
That coverage prompted broad complaints inside the company the place most contracts exceeded that quantity and precipitated bottlenecks in funding for much-needed reduction after a string of pure disasters final yr, NCS beforehand reported.
During Trump’s first yr in workplace, DHS obtained an unprecedented quantity of funding to hold out the president’s deportation agenda – a cornerstone aim of his administration and one which he efficiently used to run for president.
The company final yr obtained a $165 billion infusion from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, together with $65 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement alone. The funding is getting used from every part to hiring hundreds of further ICE officers to constructing sprawling detention facilities to carry immigrants detained by the company.
In a letter to Congress simply previous to Noem’s ouster earlier this month, Cuffari mentioned the company had “systematically obstructed” its work during the last a number of months, together with by denying entry to internal data and data. The letter goes on to record 11 cases during which OIG mentioned it was obstructed – together with one having to do with “a criminal investigation with national security implications.”
Current DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin vowed during his confirmation hearing that he would cooperate with the inspector common to the extent required by legislation.
“I will do everything required of me by law and the policies that you guys give me,” Mullin mentioned. “There won’t be any gray area with me.”