Democrats pressed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Wednesday about her relationship with Corey Lewandowski, a former Trump strategist and DHS special employee who has long had a close relationship with the former South Dakota governor.
Noem appeared in front of the House Judiciary Committee to answer questions about operations and alleged misconduct within the agency. However, some Democratic questioners used their allotted time to ask her about the long-running rumors of an affair between the pair.
“Have you had sexual relations with Corey Lewandowski?” Democratic Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove asked during the hearing.
“I am shocked that we’re going down and peddling tabloid garbage in this committee today,” Noem responded. “I would tell you that he is a special government employee.”
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“You should be able to answer the question clearly and without any hesitation if someone is asking if you or any federal official is sleeping with their subordinate,” Kamlager-Dove said as the two spoke over each other.
Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz also asked about the alleged affair, saying, “I really think you need to say the word ‘no’ into the record so that you can clear that up,” Moskowitz said.
Noem responded: “I think the ridiculousness of this and the tabloids that you are quoting and referencing are insane.”
Noem has repeatedly denied the alleged affair, and later told Moskowitz, “This is something I’ve refuted for years, and I continue to do that.”
Noem’s husband, Bryon Noem, was in attendance at the hearing and sat behind her as she was questioned.
“I also want to take a personal privilege and thank my husband for being here too,” Noem said in her opening remarks. “He’s going to have to go catch a flight in a few hours, but I’m glad he could be here today.”
Rumors of an affair have been following the pair since 2021, when conservative news site American Greatness claimed to have multiple sources saying Noem was in a sexual relationship with Lewandowski.
“These rumors are total garbage and a disgusting lie,” then-governor Noem said in a tweet at the time.“These old, tired attacks on conservative women are based on a falsehood that we can’t achieve anything without a man’s help.”
The allegations began to ramp up in the following years, with The Daily Mail in 2023 reporting that it uncovered evidence of a romantic relationship, including “flights on donors’ private planes, and stays at luxury resorts where their intimacy was observed and noted.”
The same day, the New York Post also reported that the pair were carrying out an affair, quoting an anonymous source who said they saw Noem and Lewandowski making out at a Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando.
In a forthcoming book about Trump’s mass deportation program by NBC News reporter Julia Ainsley, recently excerpted in The Atlantic, the veteran Washington scribe describes the relationship as being an open secret.
In 2026, Noem is still denying the rumors and allegations.
“This is what you do, the socialist, liberal left, you go off and attack conservative women, and you say that we’re either stupid or we’re sluts. That’s what you do. And I will tell you sir, I am neither,” Noem said at the hearing in response to Moskowitz.
The Wall Street Journal also reported earlier this year that Noem got the job of DHS secretary after Lewandowski lobbied Trump and his top aides on her behalf. Lewandowski also served alongside Noem when she was governor of South Dakota, acting as a volunteer adviser.
Beyond the pair’s alleged affair, Lewandowski’s role as one of Noem’s top advisers at DHS has raised concerns. In a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday, Noem was asked about Lewandowski’s role in approving government contracts.
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal asked Noem whether Lewandowski has a role in approving contracts at the department. Noem said, “No.”
However, ProPublica reported Wednesday that Lewandowski has signed off on contracts at the agency, citing former and current employees.
It has also been reported that Noem wanted to make Lewandowski her chief of staff, but backed off after the White House vetoed the decision due to the rumors of an alleged affair.
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