Kristi Noem’s troubles are unlikely to end with her departure from the Department of Homeland Security. That is the warning from former GOP strategist Rick Wilson, who said Noem and her close aide Corey Lewandowski could still face serious fallout over what happened during her time at DHS.
NBC reported that a new investigation found that Lewandowski allegedly sought payments illegally from a private prison company in return for ICE contracts.
A new investigation alleges Corey Lewandowski illegally demanded fees from a private prison company in exchange for steering them ICE contracts.
At the time, Lewandowski was widely known to be helping run DHS for his mistress Kristi Noem. pic.twitter.com/JUbcHnQ0E2
— FactPost (@factpostnews) March 19, 2026
Raw Story reported that Wilson said the pair may eventually “end up facing criminal charges” if they do not receive a pardon from President Donald Trump.
“You saw Republicans going at Noem very hard in that last hearing before she was fired because there’s an understanding now that they were using this as a piggy bank, that Lewandowski was handing out contracts in a pay-to-play scheme – that is the understanding that is emerging every single day,” Wilson said.
Rick Wilson further added, “It’s totally on brand for Lewandowski and he is going to end up in the hot seat as well. And there’s a chance that Trump doesn’t pardon them and they will end up facing criminal charges.”
Noem was removed by Donald Trump earlier this month after growing anger inside and outside the administration. Her exit followed heavy criticism over her leadership, her public image campaign, and a $220 million DHS advertising push that put her front and center, including a widely mocked ad where she rode a horse near Mount Rushmore.
AP reported that the ad campaign, along with other management failures, played a major role in Trump’s decision to fire her.
The primary legal challenge now comes from a criminal referral filed by Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. Jamie Raskin. They asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Kristi Noem for possible perjury, saying she gave false testimony to Congress about several DHS issues.
We have low expectations that Pam Bondi’s partisan Justice Department will pursue a perjury investigation into Kristi Noem.
Unfortunately for her, the statute of limitations is five years.
This case can be pursued by the next Administration.
— Senate Judiciary Democrats 🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryDems) March 16, 2026
Their referral says she may have misled lawmakers about whether Trump approved the ad spending, whether the contracts were truly competitively bid, and whether DHS always follows court orders and detention rules. They alleged that Noem made repeated false statements under oath. They also pointed to reports that the ad contracts were handed out to firms with political ties, which raises more questions about how the money was spent.
Wilson said that even after Kristi Noem leaves office, the story is not likely to fade. He said she and Lewandowski could still be forced back before Congress, and that the controversy could follow Noem for years. That may be the biggest political damage of all.
“And by the way, I’ve got bad news for both – they’re not going to get away from not testifying again, they’re going to be on the hot seat again. Kristi Noem is going to spend the rest of her political life – probably the rest of her adult life – dealing with the fallout from the behavior she engaged in at DHS,” Wilson said.
There is also a wider mess around DHS itself. The department’s own inspector general has reportedly been looking into the contracting process behind the ad campaign, and the office has previously said DHS leadership obstructed its work. This suggests the issues may extend beyond a single ad campaign or hearing. They may be tied to a broader pattern of bad management, weak oversight, and political favoritism.
