The Wall Street Journal reports that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is in “constant chaos” under the leadership of Secretary Kristi Noem who is having a sexual affair with her top advisor Corey Lewandowski who was passed over as Noem’s chief of staff due to his alleged relationship with her:
Lewandowski and Noem, who are both married, have publicly denied the reports of the affair, but people said they do little to hide their relationship inside the department.
The pair have lately been using a luxury 737 MAX jet, with a private cabin in back, for their travel around the country, according to people familiar with the matter. DHS is leasing the plane but is in the process of acquiring it for approximately $70 million. DHS has previously used other planes through the Coast Guard or other agencies for the secretary’s use.
Noem and Lewandowski reportedly berate senior staffers, demand polygraph tests, and routinely fire employees for absurd reasons:
In the blanket incident, Noem had to switch planes after a maintenance issue was discovered, but her blanket wasn’t moved to the second plane, according to the people familiar with the incident. The Coast Guard pilot was initially fired and told to take a commercial flight home when they reached their destination. They eventually reinstated the pilot because no one else was available to fly them home.
In an incident last year that rankled some senior staff at the agency, Lewandowski made it known to top ICE officials that he wanted to be issued a law-enforcement badge and a federally issued gun, according to people familiar with his push. Officials are typically only issued a badge and a gun after undergoing law-enforcement training.
(Source: Wall Street Journal)