The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated on Saturday that Corey Lewandowski "no longer has a role at DHS," a spokesperson said, without offering additional details on the circumstances of his departure.
Lewandowski had been serving as an unpaid adviser to former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. He is also known for having been President Donald Trump’s campaign manager during the 2016 election cycle. When asked for comment, Lewandowski did not respond to a request.
The department’s confirmation of his exit was first reported by Politico.
The announcement comes after several shifts within the leadership of DHS earlier this month. President Trump relieved Noem of her DHS duties and said she would take on a role as special envoy to a new "Shield of the Americas" initiative intended to advance his security priorities in the Western Hemisphere. Noem has been succeeded as DHS secretary by former U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin, who was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday.
Lewandowski’s close association with Noem had attracted attention. At a congressional hearing earlier this month, a Democratic lawmaker asked Noem whether she had a sexual relationship with Lewandowski. Noem dismissed the inquiry as "tabloid garbage."
Images released on Wednesday by the U.S. embassy in Guyana showed Lewandowski accompanying Noem at meetings with Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali. In her newly defined capacity as special envoy, Noem reports to Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.
Separately, a State Department official declined earlier in the week to explain to Reuters why Lewandowski was part of Noem’s trip to Guyana, but the official did state that Lewandowski would not be joining the department in any formal capacity.
Beyond the public confirmation from DHS and the photographs from Guyana, the record in the public domain remains limited. DHS did not elaborate on the nature or timing of Lewandowski’s departure, and Lewandowski himself did not provide comment when contacted.
The sequence of events - Noem’s reassignment, the Senate confirmation of her successor, the public scrutiny about her relationship with an adviser, and the department’s terse confirmation on Lewandowski’s status - underscores ongoing personnel and reputational questions tied to the recent leadership changes within DHS and related diplomatic activity.