Former Donald Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski’s actions as a senior adviser to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem are angering both staff members at the department and Trump administration officials.
According to a report from Politico, Lewandowski is working as the "de facto chief of staff" for the embattled Noem and has inserted himself into the decision-making process, which is creating a “bottleneck” leading to projects being delayed until too late.
Politico’s Myah Ward and Zack Colman are reporting that "Lewandowski has veto power over DHS contracts and grants that exceed $100,000, according to one of the FEMA officials and the administration official,” with the report adding, “he is the last stop before contracts move to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s desk.”
With one official revealing Lewandowski’s signature has been found on documents Noem is supposed to sign, the report adds, “... his role has impeded FEMA operations through the new DHS protocol of manually reviewing routine contracts.”
Calling the situation “insane,” a FEMA official bluntly stated, “Corey is part of the problem. It doesn’t matter how quickly we get it there, it doesn’t just go straight to her desk.”
According to Politico, Lewandowski, who is rumored to have an outside-the-office relationship with Noem, is being accused of having an “outsize role at DHS. He is listed in some places on DHS’s website as a chief adviser to the secretary but was originally tapped as a special governmental employee — a temporary role that is supposed to be limited to 130 days per year of unpaid work. Former and current administration officials have questioned how he’s counting his days at the agency.”
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