While Texas Republican Tony Gonzales is facing pressure over his career-damaging affair with staffer Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, another Republican leader is also catching public attention for her personal matters. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who recently posed with her husband at the airport, left eyebrows raised.
Noem started facing scrutiny after posting a carefully filmed airport goodbye with her husband, Byron Noem. As the video landed on X, it showed the Republican smiling as she dropped off her husband at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, who was traveling to their home in South Dakota.
Democrat members of Congress are getting paid, but they’re withholding @TSA workers pay checks.
Democrats in Congress have chosen to not fund @DHSgov, which means that all of our TSA workers who showed up today are not getting paid.
The men and women of TSA work hard to make… pic.twitter.com/JdPsM3ozXZ
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) February 22, 2026
Although the video seemed normal, it’s the timing that sparked further controversy. For weeks, affair rumors involving Noem and her senior Homeland Security aide, Corey Lewandowski have been making the rounds. Therefore, her public display with her husband looked more like a PR stunt for damage control to many than a simple goodbye.
As Kristi Noem allegedly used the airport farewell as an opportunity to debunk her workplace affair rumor, she shared, “I’m just dropping off my husband, who’s headed back to South Dakota.” She then looked back and waved at her husband for a final goodbye, before proceeding to continue with her interview.
“Democrats and Congress have chosen not to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which means everybody here at our airports that works for TSA is not getting paid,” Noem stated. While her alleged send-off raised eyebrows, critics pointed out that Republicans currently control Congress, thus questioning her comments.
Netizens further accused her of trying to shift blame during a tense political moment. However, the controversy does not stop there. People were also reminded of the Wall Street Journal report, which alleged that a Coast Guard pilot was fired after allegedly leaving Noem’s blanket behind on a disabled aircraft.
You had a U.S. Coast Guard pilot fired over losing a blanket.
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) February 23, 2026
Sources later revealed that the pilot was reinstated, even though Corey Lewandowski allegedly tried to have the pilot removed and warned other crew members about their jobs. Things further spiraled out of control, when the same report suggested that Noem and Lewandowski have access to a private cabin on a government jet.
The luxury aircraft, a Boeing 737 Max 8, which reportedly includes a queen-sized bed, showers, a kitchen, large flat-screen televisions, and a bar area, is currently being leased by the Department of Homeland Security. They have also expressed interest in purchasing it for deportation operations.
Netizens previously brought up the jet’s luxury features and questioned the use of taxpayers’ money. Amid such tantalizing reports and speculations of her affair, Kristi Noem’s airport video with her husband earned severe mockery, with many people calling it a staged moment.
