Justice Department Opens Criminal Probe of Corey Lewandowski Over $108 Million DHS Plane Deal
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 22
Justice Department Opens Criminal Probe of Corey Lewandowski Over $108 Million DHS Plane Deal
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 22
Summary
A criminal investigation is examining whether Corey Lewandowski personally profited while serving as a top Homeland Security adviser, after a referral from DHS’s inspector general, according to two officials.
The inquiry’s exact focus is unclear, but Lewandowski had broad sway over personnel, contracts and operations despite being an unpaid adviser and left DHS after Kristi Noem was forced out in March.
One transaction under scrutiny around Noem’s final hours gave donor-linked Daedalus Aviation $108 million for a converted Boeing 737 that documents show had been offered for less than $90 million months earlier.
Lewandowski’s lawyer said he has not been contacted by the Justice Department and denied any wrongdoing, calling his DHS service voluntary.
The case is a rare investigation of a Trump ally during his second term and adds to fallout from Noem’s tenure, which also ended after congressional testimony about tens of millions of dollars in government ads featuring her.