The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into Corey Lewandowski, the longtime Trump adviser who ran day-to-day operations at the Department of Homeland Security, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The inquiry follows a criminal referral from the department's inspector general, Joseph Cuffari, whose office spent months reviewing how DHS awarded contracts while Kristi Noem was secretary.
Allegations of personal profit
Investigators are examining whether Lewandowski used his unpaid position to benefit himself financially. The Wall Street Journal reported in July that federal investigators found evidence he may have been involved in improperly awarding government contracts. A later report alleged he pursued side deals with officials in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates while working at the department. He has called that reporting fiction.
DHS officials told Reuters that Lewandowski approved some contracts even though, as a special government employee, he had no legal authority to do so. He also allegedly put some grants and contracts on hold, including work involving FEMA.
The department's contracting fight
Noem required every contract and grant above $100,000 to cross her desk for approval. She described the rule as a way to cut waste. Several Homeland Security officials called it unusual and unnecessary, and Cuffari told Congress in March that department leadership had been obstructing his work.
Both Noem and Lewandowski left the department in March after a series of controversies, including the fatal shootings of US citizens by immigration officers.
A rare case against an ally
The inquiry is in its early stages, and it is not clear which US attorney's office is leading it. Lewandowski has not been charged. His lawyer, Adam Trigg, said his client had not been contacted by the Justice Department and denies any wrongdoing while serving the country in a voluntary capacity. A department spokesperson declined to comment.
The case puts federal prosecutors in the position of examining a member of the president's inner circle, a step they have rarely taken during Trump's second term. It also lands two weeks before midterm elections in which the administration's immigration enforcement record is already a campaign issue.