U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat and ranking member on the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, announced his intention to launch a perjury investigation into former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, alleging she lied to Congress about the hidden influence her senior adviser Corey Lewandowski had over the agency's contracts. Blumenthal claims Noem falsely denied Lewandowski's role in approving Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spending during a hearing this week, with Democrats purportedly possessing evidence to contradict her testimony.
On Thursday, Blumenthal stated he would push the subcommittee to examine whether Noem committed perjury, emphasizing that her recent firing does not absolve her of potential liability: "Her firing doesn't absolve her or relieve her of potential liability for perjury. We are going to pursue an investigation of the evidence that she lied, because it relates to corruption in the administration." At Tuesday's hearing, Blumenthal pressed Noem on whether Lewandowski, a longtime Trump ally, was involved in contract approvals, but she described him as a "special government employee" and flatly denied any contracting role.
The following day, Blumenthal sent Noem a letter arguing that DHS records tell a different story: Lewandowski personally signed off on contracts, and department staff treated his signature as authorization for spending. He noted that criminal penalties apply for knowingly making false statements to Congress. Federal procurement records reviewed by The Guardian show that last year, DHS awarded a $250,000 public affairs contract to American Made Media Company, a newly formed Republican political consultancy whose principals have deep professional ties to Lewandowski. The contract posting had an unusually tight timeline and partisan requirements, demanding the winning firm demonstrate "an established track record of promoting Trump administration policies in the media."
The company is led by veterans of Trump's presidential campaigns who worked directly with Lewandowski, but no prior government contracting work by the firm was found. Reporting by Politico and The Wall Street Journal also described Lewandowski's involvement in clearing six-figure contracts at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and noted that contracts above $100,000 were routed through the secretary's office, giving Noem and Lewandowski unusual sway over DHS spending. However, with the Senate under GOP control, Blumenthal cannot compel witnesses or issue subpoenas without the approval of subcommittee chair Ron Johnson, who has shown no indication of supporting such a move.
Blumenthal can, however, hold public forums, demand documents, and solicit whistleblowers—tools he intends to deploy. Noem was fired after facing bipartisan criticism at congressional hearings, including scrutiny over a $220 million border security advertising campaign that prominently featured her image. Noem claimed that Trump had approved the spending, but Trump allegedly rejected her claims, telling Reuters he had no knowledge of it. The White House had reportedly been warned in advance that patience was wearing thin with Noem's accumulating political damage.
According to PBS reporter Lisa Desjardins, Republican Senator John Kennedy, who harshly questioned Noem, informed the White House he had doubts "gnawing at him" and received information contradicting her account of how advertising money was contracted to political allies. When asked about the truthfulness of the spending campaign details, Kennedy said: "I'm confident in my information," highlighting ongoing skepticism within the regime's own ranks about Noem's veracity and the administration's contracting practices.
Source: www.theguardian.com