Senator Richard Blumenthal has announced plans to pursue a perjury investigation into Kristi Noem, the recently ousted homeland security secretary, after alleging she lied to Congress about the influence of her senior adviser Corey Lewandowski over Department of Homeland Security (DHS) contracts.
At a hearing this week, Noem denied that Lewandowski played any role in approving DHS spending. However, Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat and ranking member of the Senate’s permanent subcommittee on investigations, said DHS records show Lewandowski personally signed off on contracts and that staff treated his signature as approval for spending. Blumenthal wrote to Noem warning of criminal penalties for making false statements to Congress.
Federal procurement records reveal that DHS awarded a $250,000 public affairs contract to American Made Media Company, a Republican consultancy with ties to Lewandowski. The contract was posted on 26 September with bids due the next day, and required the winning firm to demonstrate a track record of promoting Trump administration policies. The company had no prior government contracting work.
Noem was fired after facing bipartisan criticism over a $220m border security advertising campaign that featured her image. She claimed President Trump approved the spending, but Trump denied this. Republican Senator John Kennedy had reportedly warned the White House of his concerns about Noem's contracting decisions.
With the Senate under Republican control, Blumenthal cannot compel witnesses or issue subpoenas without the support of subcommittee chair Ron Johnson, who has not indicated he will cooperate. However, Blumenthal intends to hold public forums, demand documents, and solicit whistleblowers to continue the investigation.
