A federal law enforcement investigation is underway into Corey Lewandowski, a long-time ally of former President Donald Trump who served as a senior informal advisor to ex-U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, multiple credible U.S. media outlets confirmed this week. Citing internal sources, CBS News, the BBC’s U.S. journalistic partner, first broke the news that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is reviewing claims that Lewandowski improperly extracted personal financial benefits while holding his temporary federal post. Lewandowski, who previously led Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and acted as a key strategist for his 2024 re-election bid, was hired as a Special Government Employee (SGE) at DHS, a temporary advisory role that imposes strict statutory caps on working hours, decision-making authority, and private sector side activities. He operated as Noem’s de facto chief of staff during his tenure, until both he and Noem were removed from their posts in March of this year amid a cascading series of public controversies, including high-profile fatal shootings of U.S. residents by immigration enforcement personnel. The DOJ formally launched the probe after receiving an official referral from the DHS Office of the Inspector General, the independent oversight body tasked with auditing the agency’s operations and flagging potential misconduct. Investigators are zeroing in on a portfolio of contracts awarded during Noem’s leadership at DHS, with multiple current and former DHS officials telling Reuters that Lewandowski repeatedly signed off on contract approvals despite lacking the legal authority to do so under the terms of his SGE appointment. He is also accused of unilaterally freezing a slate of grants and pending contracts, including several time-sensitive agreements managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the nation’s primary disaster response unit. Additional reporting from the Wall Street Journal has further alleged that Lewandowski leveraged his DHS position to solicit paid private consulting gigs from Middle Eastern nations, offering to intervene on visa applications and other DHS-regulated processes in exchange for personal compensation. The allegations extend to former Secretary Noem as well: shortly before her ouster, congressional lawmakers launched their own inquiry into a $220 million national advertising contract that Noem awarded to two firms with documented personal and professional ties to her closest inner circle. When pressed about the ongoing DOJ probe by reporters on Thursday, former President Trump acknowledged he had heard preliminary reports of the investigation but did not claim knowledge of specific details, stating publicly, “I want my people to be honest. And if they’re not going to be honest, they have to be prosecuted.” Lewandowski’s legal counsel, Adam Trigg, has issued a formal denial of all wrongdoing on his client’s behalf, noting that as of the latest update, federal investigators have not directly contacted Lewandowski to notify him he is the subject of a formal investigation.