The Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General (OIG) has found evidence suggesting former Special Government Employee Corey Lewandowski may have been involved in the improper awarding of government contracts during the tenure of former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. The watchdog agency is currently evaluating whether to send a criminal referral to the Justice Department for potential prosecution, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
The investigation is ongoing, and a referral is not imminent. Lewandowski, who served as Noem's top adviser and de facto chief of staff at DHS, has denied issuing government contracts while employed by the department and stated he has not been contacted by investigators.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, appointed by President Trump in March to replace Noem, has reportedly cooperated with investigators and briefed White House officials on some of the probe's findings. The White House referred requests for comment to DHS, which did not respond.
Previous reports indicated that DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari was examining hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts approved under Noem and Lewandowski. This included no-bid contracts related to a $220 million advertising campaign featuring Noem. Additionally, Cuffari has been auditing a $1 billion purchase of warehouses intended for migrant detention centers, an initiative that was later scrapped and resulted in the warehouses being sold at a loss.
Lewandowski, who also managed Trump's presidential campaign, held a significant role at DHS, influencing staffing and contracting decisions. The Wall Street Journal reported that he personally signed specific contracts, despite not being a full-time government official.