Federal investigators have uncovered evidence that Corey Lewandowski may have improperly steered government deals, the Wall Street Journal reported.
According to a Friday article by The Wall Street Journal, sources familiar with the matter say Lewandowski, a former senior aide at the Department of Homeland Security, is the subject of an investigation into whether he used his influence to award government contracts.
Investigators led by DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari are considering a criminal referral to the Justice Department, the Journal reported, noting that the referral is not imminent.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and White House officials have been briefed on the investigation, and Mullin recently informed White House officials about some of the investigation's findings, according to a source who spoke with the Journal, which added that "Mullin and his team have cooperated with the investigation."
Lewandowski, who was also Trump's campaign manager in 2016, served as a top aide to former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem until March, when Trump ousted Noem. The Journal noted that Cuffari "regularly clashed with Noem during her tenure at the agency."
According to sources for the Journal, investigators are examining DHS contracts signed during Noem's tenure, and "department officials had been surprised at how involved Lewandowski was in the process." Sources also told the Journal that Lewandowski "personally signed specific contracts" even though he wasn't a full-time government official.
The Journal reported that a spokesperson for Lewandowski denied that he issued contracts while at the department and that he hadn't been contacted by anyone regarding the investigation. The DHS inspector general's office neither confirmed nor denied the investigation, according to the Journal.