House Republicans Probe $220 Million DHS Ad Campaign Tied To Noem And Lewandowski

House Republicans are investigating a $220 million Department of Homeland Security advertising campaign approved under former Secretary Kristi Noem, with lawmakers also examining the role played by former adviser Corey Lewandowski.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino said his panel has already begun extensive oversight into the spending and related contracts tied to the campaign.

“We’re already doing a lot of oversight and have asked for a lot of things,” Garbarino said during an interview at the House Republican retreat at Trump National Doral Miami. “I think Corey had his hands in a lot and probably should not have. We are looking into a lot of contracts.”

The large taxpayer funded advertising campaign, which featured Noem in promotional materials, has drawn concern among Republican lawmakers over the size of the spending and how contracts were awarded.

Garbarino said an internal policy requiring the DHS secretary’s office to approve contracts exceeding $100,000 may have slowed key department operations.

According to the lawmaker, the requirement created bottlenecks that delayed funding for certain programs, including disaster relief efforts and projects tied to border security.

Garbarino also claimed contracts related to expanding hundreds of miles of wall along the southern border experienced delays under the policy.

The scale of the advertising campaign also caught the attention of President Donald Trump after Noem testified in congressional hearings that the spending had been authorized by the president.

“I wasn’t thrilled with it,” Trump said in an interview when asked about the claim. “I spent less money than that to become president. I didn’t know about it.”

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan said lawmakers plan to examine the situation further as information continues to come in.

“It sounds like the president’s concerned, so we certainly are as well,” Jordan said. “Our staff is just starting to get information in on that.”

Reports indicate that approximately $143 million of the advertising funds were paid to Safe America Media, a company that was incorporated shortly before securing the contract.

Another subcontract worth more than $226,000 went to a political consulting firm called the Strategy Group.

The firm helped produce an advertisement featuring Noem on horseback in front of Mount Rushmore, promoting legal immigration while warning that individuals entering the United States illegally would be deported.

The Strategy Group is run by Ben Yoho, whose wife Tricia McLaughlin previously served as chief spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security.

In a statement, the consulting firm said it never contracted directly with DHS, while McLaughlin said her husband was not involved in the company that received the primary contract.

During testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this month, Noem said the department followed proper procedures for awarding contracts and denied being involved in the selection process.

Behind the scenes, reports indicate President Trump has privately asked advisers whether Lewandowski personally benefited from the advertising campaign.

White House sources also said Trump had become frustrated with Noem after she struggled to answer questions about her relationship with Lewandowski during internal discussions.

Lewandowski has denied exerting improper influence inside the department and said he served only as an unpaid volunteer adviser.

“Never said that,” Lewandowski said when asked about claims he had boasted about having unchecked influence. “Never asked for a pardon and have no reason to receive one.”

Meanwhile, House Republicans expressed support for the nomination of Senator Markwayne Mullin to replace Noem as Homeland Security secretary.

Jordan said Mullin is expected to continue investigating any misuse of taxpayer funds while also advancing the administration’s broader priorities.

“I am very excited for a Secretary Mullin,” Garbarino said. “He has a great relationship with a lot of people on the Hill.”

Garbarino added that despite the controversy surrounding the ad campaign, Noem still made progress on several key priorities including strengthening border enforcement and addressing issues inside federal agencies.