Justice Department investigating Republican operative Corey Lewandowski over alleged contract misconduct at DHS

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Justice Department prosecutors are investigating allegations of contract misconduct at the Department of Homeland Security, including the role of Corey Lewandowski who worked as de facto chief of staff to former Secretary Kristi Noem, according to multiple people familiar with the investigation.

The probe follows a criminal referral for Lewandowski from the DHS Inspector General’s office, which has been examining contracting practices at the agency during Noem’s and Lewandowski’s tenure, according to one of the people familiar.

The Justice Department declined to comment on the matter.

CNN has reached out to Lewandowski and his representatives for comment. The Department of Homeland Security didn’t immediately return a request for comment on the matter.

The referral is an unusual move for the Trump administration, which has been hesitant to criminally investigate its own members.

Critics have instead largely accused the Justice Department of improperly targeting the president’s political enemies and accused DHS of protecting their own employees from scrutiny.

In recent months, as the allegations of possible corruption emerged, Washington, DC, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro told officials in her office that she wanted investigators to look into claims of kickbacks connected to contracting at DHS, according to a second source familiar with the investigation.

It’s still not clear which US Attorney’s office is leading the investigation.

Prosecutors have been awaiting results from the DHS inspector general probe, the person familiar with the probe said.

DHS internal watchdog launches investigation into handling of contracts under Noem, Lewandowski

Lewandowski became a fixture at DHS early in President Donald Trump’s second term, serving as Noem’s chief adviser. But on paper, he was originally tapped to serve as a special government employee — a unique role meant to span a limited number of days.

Lewandowksi’s straddling of senior government functions at DHS and service as a special government employee was uncharted territory, according to multiple people who spoke with CNN.

Homeland Security officials ultimately viewed Lewandowski, a Trump ally, as Noem’s gatekeeper. He left the department when Trump fired Noem.

Noem’s handling of contracts within DHS was one of the main catalysts for her ouster by Trump earlier this year, notably when she claimed that Trump knew of a $220 million ad campaign prominently featuring the secretary.

During her tenure, Noem also tightened her grip on her department’s purse strings, ordering that every contract and grant over $100,000 had to cross her desk for approval — a move that Noem frequently defended as intended to cut down on waste but that multiple Homeland Security officials found unusual and unnecessary.

The inspector general, Joseph Cuffari, complained to Congress in early March that Homeland Security leadership had been obstructing some of his work.

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据多位知情人士透露，司法部检察官正在调查国土安全部涉嫌合同不当行为的指控，其中包括科里·莱万多夫斯基（Corey Lewandowski）的角色，他曾担任前部长克里斯蒂·诺姆（Kristi Noem）的实际幕僚长。

据一位知情人士透露，此次调查源于国土安全部监察长办公室对莱万多夫斯基的刑事移交。该办公室一直在审查诺姆和莱万多夫斯基任职期间该机构的合同签订做法。

司法部拒绝就此事发表评论。

CNN已联系莱万多夫斯基及其代表寻求置评。国土安全部尚未对此事作出回应。

对于特朗普政府而言，这一移交举措实属罕见，因为该政府一直不愿对其成员进行刑事调查。

批评人士则大多指责司法部不当针对总统的政治敌人，并指责国土安全部保护自己的雇员免受审查。

据一位熟悉调查情况的消息人士透露，近几个月来，随着有关腐败的指控出现，华盛顿特区美国检察官珍妮·皮罗告诉她办公室的官员，她希望调查人员调查与国土安全部合同相关的回扣指控。

目前还不清楚是哪个美国检察官办公室在主导这项调查。

一位知情人士透露，检察官一直在等待国土安全部监察长办公室的调查结果。

国土安全部内部监察机构对诺姆和莱万多夫斯基执政期间的合同处理情况展开调查

莱万多夫斯基在特朗普总统第二任期初期就成为国土安全部的固定成员，担任诺姆的首席顾问。但从表面上看，他最初被任命为特别政府雇员——这是一个任期有限的特殊职位。

据多位与 CNN 交谈过的人士称，莱万多夫斯基同时担任国土安全部高级政府职务和特殊政府雇员，这在当时是前所未有的。

国土安全部官员最终将特朗普的盟友莱万多夫斯基视为诺姆的“守门人”。特朗普解雇诺姆后，他也离开了国土安全部。

诺姆对国土安全部合同的处理方式是她今年早些时候被特朗普解职的主要原因之一，尤其是当她声称特朗普知道一项耗资 2.2 亿美元的广告宣传活动以她本人为主要宣传对象时。

在任期间，诺姆还加强了对部门财政的控制，下令所有超过 10 万美元的合同和拨款都必须经过她的批准——诺姆经常辩称此举是为了减少浪费，但多位国土安全部官员认为此举不同寻常且没有必要。

监察长约瑟夫·库法里在三月初向国会抱怨说，国土安全部领导层一直在阻挠他的一些工作。