Noem raises eyebrows with response to explosive affair question: 'I didn’t hear a no'

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced serious questions under oath on Wednesday on Capitol Hill, including one about the long-rumored affair with top Trump administration aide Corey Lewandowski that raised eyebrows among people watching.

Noem, whose husband was seated behind her during the hearing, was asked by Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) why Lewandowski (who is also married) was her top official, citing concerns among lawmakers over his previous misconduct, lack of experience with the Department of Homeland Security, record of physical battery, sexual harassment, bringing a loaded gun into a federal building and illegal lobbying for a Venezuelan oil company. The Democratic lawmaker then dropped an eyebrow-raising question.

"At any time during your tenure, as director of Department of Homeland Security, have you had sexual relations with Corey Lewandowski?" Kamlager-Dove asked Noem.

Noem did not explicitly deny or say "no" to the question. Instead, she became defensive in her reaction.

"I am shocked we are peddling tabloid garbage," Noem said. "Ma'am, one thing I would tell you is that he is a special employee who works for the White House — there are thousands of them in the federal government — and is an advisor and has no authority to be making any decisions."

Both Kamlager-Dove and Noem spoke over each other during the heated — and awkward — moment.

"It is OK for you to be offended by the question... but it is also a real question, and you should be able to answer the question, clearly, and without any hesitation if someone is asking if you or any federal official is sleeping with their subordinate," Kamlager-Dove said. "That should be the easiest... You should be wanting to answer that question because it is not about your sex life, it is about your judgment."

Noem said the claim was "offensive" and that the question has been "refuted for years."

But the internet had a different response.

"That’s not a denial," influencer Lucas Sanders wrote on X.

"I didn’t hear a no," nurse Richard Staple, BSN, RN, wrote on X.

"Bill Clinton would like a word," farmer Derek Cressman wrote on X.

"I’ll take that as a ‘yes,'" writer and artist Suanne Laqueur wrote on Bluesky.

"Doesn’t sound like a no…" consultant Stuart Tan wrote on Bluesky.