Homeland Security’s Kristi Noem, or sometimes known as ‘ICE Barbie’ herself, is once again at the center of controversy. Word is, the White House has quietly launched a behind-the-scenes investigation into her right-hand man, Corey Lewandowski, for allegedly fudging his work hours to stay close to the action.
Corey, acting as Kristi Noem’s de facto chief adviser, is under suspicion of undercounting his days on the job so he can keep the perks of his unpaid “special government employee” gig, without actually punching the clock. Special employees like him are legally capped at 130 workdays per year. While DHS claims he’s “only” logged 69 so far, four administration insiders tell Axios they’re pretty sure that’s a massive understatement.
Sources say he’s been pulling sneaky moves, ducking into government buildings with others to avoid using his badge, and even using his personal phone and email for official business, leaving zero paper trail, and definitely helping his numbers stay nice and low.
According to Axios, the White House caught wind of this and has started watching him like a hawk. On July 3, the White House Counsel’s office issued a stern-looking memo reminding all SGEs they can’t exceed the 130-day cap, and gave explicit instructions on how to tally those days. Right after that memo dropped, DOJ counsel and the White House counsel huddled up to talk just how much work Mr. Lewandowski is actually doing.
Now, let’s address the elephant in the room, or rather, the rumor mill: Noem and Lewandowski, both married to other people, have faced nonstop speculation about a romantic connection.
The US Department of Homeland Security put out this video today to show people the important work Kristi Noem is doing for us on her trip to Argentina and Chile with Corey Lewandowski. pic.twitter.com/niBCqOFtzs
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) July 29, 2025
Both deny it, but can’t seem to stop spending every waking minute together. And let’s be real, the power he wields just fuels the gossip. Since Noem officially joined DHS at the end of January, Lewandowski’s been glued to her side, sometimes overriding the Deputy Secretary, jet-setting around the world with her, steering contract meetings, policy briefings, even showing up in the background of her glamorous photo ops.
It gets messier: reports say everything he does is aimed at boosting Noem’s profile. And last month, when Gov. Ron DeSantis swooped in to take the first look at Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center, without her, Lewandowski apparently absolutely lost his mind.
Media outlets have hammered their phones, trying to get Noem, Lewandowski, DHS, or the White House to comment, but so far, there has been only radio silence. He ran Trump’s campaign from June 2015 until his ouster a year later, following a string of damaging headlines and clashes with fellow advisers and even some of Trump’s children.
Years later, Lewandowski rejoined the team, formally signing on to Trump’s 2024 campaign just months before Election Day, after the candidate told him he missed the energy of that first White House bid.
In a nutshell, the White House is circling the wagons on Lewandowski’s shady hours. Meanwhile, the romance rumors just keep making him and ICE Barbie the most controversial power couple in D.C. right now.
