We were able to get behind the paywall for the Wall Street Journal's lengthy expose of the inner chaos of the Department of Homeland Security and the special relationship between married DHS Secretary "ICE Barbie" Noem and her married "senior advisor" Corey Lewandowski. Some excerpts:
"Within DHS, Noem and Lewandowski frequently berate senior level staff, give polygraph tests to employees they don’t trust and have fired employees—in one incident, Lewandowski fired a U.S. Coast Guard pilot after Noem’s blanket was left behind on a plane, according to people familiar with the incident.
Simmering criticism over the past year for Noem’s policies and publicity moves exploded in Minneapolis, jeopardizing her grip over DHS and putting her standing with Trump on thin ice. [snip]
Noem and Lewandowski’s close relationship had already made Trump and his top advisers uncomfortable. Lewandowski had initially wanted to formally serve as Noem’s chief of staff, but Trump rejected the idea due to reports of a romantic relationship between the two—which he has continued to bring up, officials say.
After photos in the Daily Mail showed Lewandowski going back and forth between his apartment and Noem’s across the street last year, the secretary moved into a government-owned waterfront house on a military base in Washington that is provided to the leader of the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard falls under Noem’s purview at DHS during peacetime. Lewandowski also spends time at the house. [snip]
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 DHS spokeswoman said the department “doesn’t waste time with salacious, baseless gossip.”
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. [snip]
Lewandowski took Noem to functions with Republican kingmakers, introducing her as a rising star in the party. He suggested her to others as Trump’s vice president in 2024. After failing at that, Lewandowski pushed for her to get the DHS post, a role viewed as central to Trump’s agenda and one he believed could be a launchpad for a potential 2028 presidential bid.
Officials at DHS said they believe the pair see DHS as a steppingstone to an even bigger perch." (our emphasis)
There's much more gag-worthy details in the WSJ's well-sourced and written article, e.g., the blanket incident reference above, Lewandowski's demand to be issued an official badge and gun, and their micromanagement of the DHS and inconsistent internal policies (on FEMA, for example). It's notable that the article often mentions the two as "the pair" and links their names throughout. As observers have noted, their relationship is "one of the worst kept secrets in Washington." If they are already on "thin ice" (no pun) with the Malignant Fascist, this insightful look into their clueless management of DHS and their personal shenanigans may break it for the MF.
(photo: joined at the hip)
No comments:
Post a Comment