WSJ: Lewandowski Pitched Qatar and UAE for "Side Work" While Serving as Noem’s Top DHS Adviser

The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Corey Lewandowski, while serving as a special government employee and de facto top adviser to then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, approached senior Qatari officials with an offer to hire him “on the side” to help with matters under the department’s authority, including visas. People familiar with the outreach told the Journal he made a similar pitch to representatives of the United Arab Emirates. Officials in both governments declined. Some foreign counterparts were described as surprised, given existing channels with senior U.S. officials. The Journal said the pitches came while Lewandowski held an expansive portfolio covering large DHS appropriations, the administration’s border and immigration agenda, and tariff collection. He served as an SGE, a status that can allow limited outside work. Employees and officials have previously described him as a gatekeeper or “shadow secretary.” A representative denied that Lewandowski sought contracts with foreign governments, said he played no role in contract review or approval, and said he had not been contacted about any contracting investigation.

The Gulf pitches sit on top of a record that was already under review. Noem required her sign-off on contracts above $100,000. ProPublica and the New York Times later reported internal records and staff accounts that Lewandowski reviewed or signed large awards, including memos listing him as “chief adviser to S1,” despite Noem’s Senate testimony that he had “no” role in approving contracts. DHS at the time said he volunteered and was unpaid. Inspector General Joseph Cuffari’s office has been examining fiscal 2025 grants and contracts from the Noem period, including no-bid work tied to a $220 million advertising campaign featuring Noem and warehouse purchases for detention space. In July the Journal reported the inspector general had found evidence Lewandowski may have been involved in improperly awarding contracts and was weighing a possible Justice Department referral; that process was described as ongoing, not imminent. Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who replaced Noem in March, has cooperated with investigators, the Journal said. Lewandowski and Noem left DHS that month. Lawyer Adam Trigg has separately denied that Lewandowski demanded payments from contractors such as GEO Group.

The Journal and earlier reporting also described Lewandowski’s hand in vendor decisions, including pressure around Palantir work and a cut to a large blanket purchase agreement after the firm resisted a requested one-on-one meeting. In December, while ICE operations continued at home, Noem and Lewandowski traveled on a private 737 to Jordan, Abu Dhabi, and Qatar, including a meeting with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The Journal did not publish signed contracts with Doha or Abu Dhabi. The pitches, as reported, did not result in hires. The inspector general’s contracting review predates Monday’s story and has not been publicly closed.