Senator Richard Blumenthal has announced plans to pursue a perjury investigation into former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, alleging she lied to Congress about the role of her senior adviser Corey Lewandowski in approving department contracts. The Connecticut Democrat, ranking member on the Senate’s permanent subcommittee on investigations, said Thursday he would push the panel to examine whether Noem committed perjury during a hearing this week.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Blumenthal pressed Noem on whether Lewandowski, a longtime Trump ally, was involved in approving contracts. She described him as a “special government employee” working for the White House and denied he had a contracting role, saying simply: “No.” However, Blumenthal argued that DHS records show Lewandowski personally signed off on contracts and that staff treated his signature as approval for spending. “There are criminal penalties for knowingly and willfully making materially false statements or representations to Congress,” he wrote in a letter to Noem.
Federal procurement records reveal that last September, DHS awarded a $250,000 public affairs contract to American Made Media Company, a newly formed Republican consultancy with ties to Lewandowski. The contract had an unusually tight timeline and required the winning firm to demonstrate “an established track record of promoting Trump administration policies in the media”. The company, led by veterans of Trump’s campaigns, had no prior government contracting work. Politico and the Wall Street Journal have also reported on Lewandowski’s involvement in clearing six-figure contracts at Fema, part of DHS.
With the Senate under Republican control, Blumenthal cannot compel witnesses or issue subpoenas without the approval of subcommittee chair Ron Johnson, who has not indicated he will support such action. However, Blumenthal said he would hold public forums, demand documents, and solicit whistleblowers. Noem was fired after facing bipartisan criticism over a $220m border security advertising campaign that featured her image, which Trump denied approving. Republican senator John Kennedy had reportedly warned the White House of his concerns about Noem’s contracting practices.
