The abrupt removal of Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security appears to have been the result of several mounting controversies, with a tense congressional hearing ultimately pushing the situation over the edge, according to sources familiar with internal White House discussions.
President Donald Trump had reportedly been growing increasingly frustrated with Noem’s leadership in recent weeks. One major point of tension came during a Senate hearing in which Noem told lawmakers that Trump had approved a $220 million advertising campaign promoting the Department of Homeland Security that prominently featured the secretary herself. Trump later told reporters he had no knowledge of the ad campaign, creating a credibility problem for the administration.
But according to multiple sources cited in reporting about the episode, another moment during a House hearing became the “final straw.”
During the hearing, Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.) directly asked Noem whether she had engaged in a romantic relationship with Corey Lewandowski, a longtime Trump political ally who had been serving as a special government employee working closely with DHS.
“Have you had sexual relations with Corey Lewandowski?” the congresswoman asked.
Noem declined to answer the question directly.
“I am shocked that we’re going down and peddling tabloid garbage in this committee today,” Noem responded, calling the question inappropriate. She added that Lewandowski was one of many special government employees working with the administration.
Other lawmakers pressed her to simply answer yes or no, but Noem continued to deflect.
Observers said the exchange intensified scrutiny of the alleged relationship and dominated coverage of the hearing. According to individuals familiar with the situation, the episode reinforced concerns inside the White House that controversies surrounding Noem were overshadowing the administration’s policy agenda.
The hearing came on top of other issues that had already strained Noem’s standing within the administration. These included disputes over DHS leadership decisions, tensions with officials at agencies such as ICE, FEMA, and Customs and Border Protection, and criticism surrounding operational decisions tied to immigration enforcement.
Trump ultimately replaced Noem with Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, marking the first cabinet-level shakeup of his second presidential term.
In comments after the decision, Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) said Trump had been extremely frustrated following Noem’s Senate testimony about the advertising campaign.
“The president… was mad as a murder hornet,” Kennedy told reporters.
Despite her removal, Noem did not publicly criticize the president. Shortly after the announcement, she appeared at a law enforcement conference in Nashville and later issued a statement thanking Trump for appointing her to a new role as special envoy for the “Shield of the Americas.”
“In this new role, I will be able to build on the partnerships and national security expertise I forged over my time as Secretary of Homeland Security,” Noem said.
Lewandowski, who had been working with DHS as an unpaid special government employee, said he had no insight into the decision and declined to speculate on whether the controversy surrounding their alleged relationship played a role.
