The Justice Department is looking into allegations of contract misconduct connected to Corey Lewandowski, who served as a top adviser for former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, after the department received a criminal referral from the DHS Inspector General’s office.
The office has been examining accusations of Lewandowski’s mishandling of contracts during Noem’s tenure leading the department, The Wall Street Journal first reported Thursday — though Lewandowski’s lawyer denied that any investigation exists at all.
“Mr. Lewandowski has not been contacted by the Justice Department regarding any investigation, and he denies any wrongdoing when he was proudly serving his country in a voluntary capacity,” Adam Trigg, Lewandowski’s attorney, wrote in a statement to The Washington Sun.
President Donald Trump fired Noem in March as the secretary faced a slew of controversies, including the department’s handling of immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota, a $220 million border security ad campaign and the purchase and contract procurement for several aircraft.
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Asked about the investigation into Lewandowski, the White House pointed to Trump’s comments to reporters on Thursday: “I want my people to be honest, and if they’re not going to be honest, they have to be prosecuted. I don’t know about specifically, but I view it as if people are not honest, they’re stealing from me as President.”
Lewandowski expects a pardon from Trump in the event he is charged in a criminal case, the Journal reported Thursday. Trump appeared to pour cold water on that idea.
“If somebody is dishonest, I consider them not only against the country; I consider that dishonest against me. So I will never do anything to stop a prosecution if someone is dishonest,” Trump said.
DHS did not immediately return a request for comment for this story.
News of the investigation comes days after The Sun first reported that the purchases of several aircraft at the end of Noem’s tenure were tied to an “ongoing criminal law enforcement investigation,” citing a letter from DHS’ Privacy Office.
The acknowledgement was part of a denial of an Oct. 14 Freedom of Information Act request filed by The Sun, which sought information about the purchases of the planes. The Sun is appealing the denial.
In a statement after the publication of The Sun’s story, a DHS spokesperson claimed the FOIA response had been sent to The Sun in “error.” The DHS FOIA office did not return a request for comment.
The New York Times previously reported that several of the planes were bought above market value from Daedalus Aviation Corporation, whose chair donated $10,000 to a pro-Noem super PAC.
In March, House Democrats on the Oversight and Homeland Security committees called on DHS’s watchdog office to investigate Lewandowski.
A White House spokesperson on Tuesday deferred to DHS when asked about the criminal inquiry. A DOJ spokesperson initially declined to comment on the matter, but on Tuesday told The Sun it does not comment on the existence of ongoing investigations.
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