The Justice Department is looking into claims that Corey Lewandowski used his high-level position at the Department of Homeland Security to make money, according to the Wall Street Journal.
People familiar with the matter said the inquiry grew out of a referral from the DHS inspector general, whose findings were passed along in recent days. The Journal calls it the first publicly known instance of Trump’s second-term Justice Department turning its attention to someone in the president’s orbit.
Lewandowski advised then-Secretary Kristi Noem until the two left in March amid reports of turmoil and spending controversies; the two have long been rumored to be having a romantic affair, something they deny.
The Journal has previously reported that he appeared to use his influence for personal financial gain, including by asking Middle Eastern countries to hire him for side work. He or his associates signed off on almost every spending decision above $100,000, while working as an unpaid special government employee. DHS investigators found evidence he may have been involved in improperly awarding contracts, the Journal reported in July.
Lewandowski has denied seeking foreign contracts or approving DHS contracts. A representative said he hasn’t been contacted by the Justice Department and that he “denies any wrongdoing.”
The Journal notes that the Justice Department has chiefly pursued the president’s critics, abandoned cases involving allies, and shrunk its public corruption unit to two prosecutors. Lewandowski has told people he expects a pardon if charged, the Journal previously reported, though his lawyer says he has said no such thing.