WASHINGTON — Corey Lewandowski, the veteran political operative and longtime confidant to Donald Trump, has been ousted from his advisory role at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), according to multiple administration officials. The move comes less than 24 hours after the President’s abrupt dismissal of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
The departure marks the third time the former campaign manager has been cut from Trump’s inner circle, signaling a significant restructuring of the administration’s domestic security apparatus following a week of disastrous congressional testimony and internal mismanagement allegations.
A “Shadow” Leadership Collapses
Lewandowski, 52, had been serving as a senior adviser to Noem, though his influence far exceeded his official status as an unpaid “special government employee.” Within the halls of DHS, he was widely regarded as the department’s de facto chief of staff and “shadow” leader, reportedly micromanaging personnel decisions and contract approvals.
His exit follows a tumultuous week where Noem’s leadership was picked apart by both Democratic and Republican lawmakers. While Noem was the public face of the department’s aggressive immigration enforcement, sources say Lewandowski was the primary architect behind many of the department’s most controversial moves.
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The $220 Million Ad Campaign Fallout
The primary catalyst for the shakeup appears to be a $220 million taxpayer-funded advertising campaign that featured Noem prominently on horseback near Mount Rushmore. The campaign, aimed at deterring illegal immigration, was awarded to firms with deep Republican ties without a standard bidding process.
During a House Judiciary Committee hearing on March 4, Noem insisted that President Trump had personally authorized the expenditure. However, the President directly contradicted her on Thursday, telling reporters:
“I wasn’t thrilled with it. I spent less money than that to become president. I didn’t know about it.”
The public split over the budget, combined with the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal officers during an immigration sweep in Minneapolis earlier this year, ultimately made Noem—and by extension, Lewandowski—politically untenable.
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Allegations and Tabloid Scrutiny
The professional downfall was mirrored by a resurfacing of personal scandals. During the same March 4 hearing, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.) questioned Noem directly about long-standing rumors of an extramarital affair with Lewandowski.
While Noem dismissed the inquiry as “tabloid garbage,” the optics of the relationship—and Lewandowski’s irregular employment status—had become a focal point for critics. Lewandowski was previously removed from a Trump-aligned super PAC in 2021 following allegations of unwanted advances, which he denied.
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The Road Ahead: Senator Mullin Takes the Reins
President Trump has moved quickly to fill the vacuum, nominating Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) to lead the department. Mullin, a former MMA fighter and a staunch Trump loyalist, is expected to bring a more disciplined, traditional management style to the agency.
Noem, meanwhile, has been reassigned to a newly created role: Special Envoy for “The Shield of the Americas.” The initiative, a Western Hemisphere security coalition aimed at dismantling drug cartels and countering Chinese influence, was formally launched by the President at a summit in Doral, Florida, on March 7.
While Noem attempts to reinvent her political standing in the diplomatic sphere, Lewandowski appears to be once again on the outside of the administration he helped build.
