Kristi Noem reacts as she attends the "Shield of the Americas" Summit in Miami, Florida, U.S., March 7, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Democrats say that the Republicans who claimed they wanted an investigation into possible corruption at the Department of Homeland Security aren't that serious about it.
The Bulwark reported on Thursday that Democrats who spoke to them believe it is a ruse because they've been frozen out of all parts of the process.
Outgoing Secretary Kristi Noem and her aide and her former aid Corey Lewandowski are linked to several allegations of personal ties to government contracts. A report Thursday cited several people who claim they were told there had to be money going to one of Lewandowski's many consulting companies to secure the government contract. Lewandowski denies this.
In a separate report Thursday from Politico, other questions surround whether both Noem and Lewandowski profited from the $220 million spent on ads promoting ICE and border patrol while featuring Noem prominently. One company, Safe America Media, was founded days before it was awarded the government contract. It was founded by someone at the same address as a Republican operative Mike McElwain. He and Patrick McCarthy "have ties to a firm that did extensive media buying on President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign."
Democrats sent a letter to Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee and Homeland Security chairs demanding accountability.
In a letter to House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) called on Republicans to change course if they’re serious about holding Noem and her former lieutenant Corey Lewandowski accountable.
“Now that House Republicans have finally decided to investigate the inappropriate use of funds by Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski,” wrote Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) and given to The Bulwark.
“I request that the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Judiciary Committee include Democrats in the full investigation, as is the precedent. Furthermore, I once again call on Congress to conduct a thorough investigation into Secretary Noem’s unlawful and potentially impeachable actions," she said.
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) pledged an investigation and said they'd get to the bottom of the contracts. He claimed that they'd already requested documents.
“I think Corey had his hands in a lot and probably should not have,” Garbarino said during a Republican retreat in Miami last week. “We are looking into a lot of contracts.”
Democrats find that "laughable," the report said, citing Ramirez. She said that she has been asking Republican members for nearly a year about shady contracts and questionable spending. It was only after public reporting revealed the $220 million spending on the Noem-focused ads that Republicans began discussing the matter.
The Bulwark recalled that "Garbarino even went out of his way to 'commend' Noem at an oversight hearing in December."
“Six, seven weeks ago, not one of those Republicans critiqued her for mismanagement of funds. They thanked her, congratulated her, and uplifted her,” Ramirez told the site in an interview. “But now they’re feeling the pressure because voters are tired of corruption and don’t care if it’s a Republican or Democrat.”
Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) said that she is just as frustrated with Republicans over the probe.
“I haven’t gotten anything personally from House Republicans, I’ve read articles about the inquiry just like you,” McIver told the reporter.
She called the GOP's sudden interest a joke.
“Trump is done with her so now Republicans are picking up and doing their job, which they were supposed to have been doing, but they threw that to the side to focus on cruelty against the American people and kissing Trump’s butt,” she said.