White House Received Numerous Complaints About Lewandowski Kickback Requests, Took No Action: Report
Despite hearing complaints from companies that former Department of Homeland Security advisor Corey Lewandowski was seeking kickbacks on contracts, the White House took no action because they assumed that President Trump would come to his defense, NBC News reported.
Lewandowski took a role as an unpaid “special government employee” at Department of Homeland Security, but acted as former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s top aid.
NBC News cited a senior White House official as saying that at least a “dozen” complaints had been made regarding Lewandowski from four different companies. The complaints asserted that Lewandowski was trying to directly or indirectly profit from the DHS contracting process.
In the NBC report, one marketing firm was allegedly told, through an intermediary, that a federal contract would be worth $40 million to $50 million, but the firm would only get $20 million with the rest going to a consulting company with ties to Lewandowski.
According to NBC News, White House officials were fearful to take any action about the complaints because they thought Trump would defend Lewandowski. Trump’s relationship with Lewandowski goes back several years, as he served as Trump’s first campaign manager in 2016.
Democrats have demanded an investigation into Lewandowski and potential involvement with the approval of any DHS contracts. “We write with grave concern regarding public reporting on allegations of corruption and mismanagement at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),” lawmakers wrote in a letter to the Office of Inspector General.
Among the issue highlighted in the letter is a change in the approval process of DHS contracts that needed the approval of Noem. The previous threshold for the DHS secretary to approve contracts was $25 million. Noem reduced it to $100,000 in July 2025.
“Subsequently, the Wall Street Journal reported that at Mr. Lewandowski’s urging, DHS has moved away from continuing long-term contracts in favor of new contracts, most of which are subject to the $100,000 approval policy,” the letter stated.
Also, the letter noted that Lewandowski was added to DHS as a special governmental employee, which meant he was not subject to financial disclosure requirements.
“(Lewandowski) has had ample opportunity to continue pursuing his business interests in the private sector while simultaneously playing a key role in awarding DHS contracts. Mr. Lewandowski’s outsized role and questionable actions have not gone unnoticed even within the Trump Administration,” the letter states.
