Trump Has Questioned Aides About Corey Lewandowski's Role In Dhs Ad Campaign, Sources Say

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has peppered aides successful caller days astir whether longtime advisor Corey Lewandowski profited personally from a $220 cardinal national advertising campaign featuring Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was fired past week, according to 3 group acquainted pinch his conversations.

“He’s mentioned nan ads respective times,” a elder White House charismatic said, referring to Trump asking questions astir Lewandowski’s domiciled successful nan advertisement contract.

The ads were a repeated attraction of lawmakers’ questions during a brace of contentious hearings connected Capitol Hill past week that led successful portion to Trump’s decision to region Noem arsenic caput of nan agency and reassign her to a domiciled arsenic typical envoy to nan recently formed “Shield of nan Americas.”

Trump told NBC News that he “wasn’t thrilled” erstwhile Noem testified to nan Senate Judiciary Committee that he had signed disconnected connected her costly advertisement campaign. Contradicting Noem, he said that he “didn’t cognize thing astir it” astatine nan time.

Behind nan scenes, he has grown suspicious astir Lewandowski’s domiciled successful doling retired authorities contracts, according to nan 3 group acquainted pinch his conversations.

Lewandowski has served arsenic a “special authorities employee” astatine DHS for much than a year, operating arsenic a de facto main of unit to Noem. And DHS officials and lobbyists opportunity he has wielded outsize power successful nan awarding of national contracts.

Donald Trump speaks pinch Lewandowski astatine a run rally Oct. 23, 2023, successful Derry, N.H.Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post via Getty Images file

In an question and reply pinch NBC News connected Monday, Lewandowski categorically denied that he had made money from DHS contracts.

Asked if he has ever received “any money from immoderate of nan contracts” he has signed disconnected on, Lewandowski told NBC News successful an interview, “zero, not 1 penny.”

The White House declined to remark connected Lewandowski’s assertions.

The advertisement campaign, which included images of Noem connected horseback discussing nan American dream and talking reliable astir cracking down connected undocumented immigrants, caught Trump’s attention, and 2 of nan group acquainted pinch his conversations said he has brought it up many times pinch his advisers. In 1 instance, he told advisers past week, “Corey made retired connected that one,” according to different elder White House official.

Lewandowski told NBC News he had spoken pinch Trump connected Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of past week — nan 3 days earlier Noem was fired — and that nan president had not brought up nan ads aliases contracts pinch him. He besides said that it is his ain determination whether he leaves DHS pinch Noem connected March 31 and that he has not made up his mind astir that.

“Since I’ve known nan feline for 11 years, I deliberation it’s adjacent to opportunity if he had a interest astir thing I was doing, he would raise it,” Lewandowski said of Trump successful nan interview.

Lewandowski, a typical advisor astatine DHS, listens during nan inaugural Americas Counter Cartel Conference astatine U.S. Southern Command's office past week. Joe Raedle / Getty Images

Lewandowski was nan first head connected Trump’s first campaign, and nan 2 men person remained personally adjacent — moreover aft Trump pushed him to nan sidelines of his 2024 run aft Lewandowski had a dust-up pinch Susie Wiles, his run head and now nan White House main of staff.

While Trump consistently praises Noem for helping trim disconnected nan U.S. separator pinch Mexico, his mounting vexation pinch her handling of nationalist relations had been spilling into nationalist position for weeks.

In February, he switched up nan squad overseeing DHS’ Operation Metro Surge successful Minneapolis aft national agents changeable and killed 2 American citizens. Since then, Noem has had to fend disconnected reports astir her acquisition of a luxury jet, her narration pinch agencies within her section and stories about contracting problems astatine DHS.

The advertisement run has besides go a attraction for Democratic lawmakers, 2 of whom launched an investigation into 3 businesses that won contracts from DHS to nutrient nan ads — Safe America Media, nan Strategy Group and People Who Think.

Kristi Noem takes portion successful a sound cheque arsenic Lewandowski looks connected up of nan 2024 Republican National Convention successful Milwaukee connected July 14, 2024.Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images

In letters to nan businesses, Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., said Safe America Media signed a $143 cardinal no-bid statement pinch DHS and subcontracted portion of it retired to nan Strategy Group. They besides said People Who Think inked a $77 cardinal no-bid woody pinch nan agency.

The Strategy Group is tally by Ben Yoho, nan hubby of erstwhile DHS spokeswoman Tricia McGlaughlin.

Welch and Blumenthal wrote that their concerns stem from news reports, including a November communicative by ProPublica detailing ties betwixt nan advertisement contracts and a patient pinch connections to Noem. They asked nan 3 businesses to supply archiving of their agreements pinch DHS, which companies they subcontracted pinch and whether they had deals successful spot pinch Lewandowski.