By Hannah Rabinowitz, Evan Perez, Kaitlan Collins, Priscilla Alvarez, Holmes Lybrand, CNN
(CNN) – Prosecutors from the Justice Department are looking into claims of contract misconduct at the Department of Homeland Security. This includes Corey Lewandowski’s involvement, who served as a key advisor to former Secretary Kristi Noem, according to several sources familiar with the situation.
The investigation comes after a criminal referral for Lewandowski was made by the DHS Inspector General’s office. They have been reviewing contracting practices during Noem’s and Lewandowski’s time in office, according to one source close to the inquiry.
The Justice Department has not commented on this matter.
“Mr. Lewandowski has not been contacted by the Justice Department regarding any investigation, and he denies any wrongdoing when he was proudly serving his country in a voluntary capacity,” said Adam Trigg, Lewandowski’s attorney, to CNN.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comments regarding this issue.
This referral is quite unusual for the Trump administration, which has generally been reluctant to investigate its own officials.
Critics have accused the Justice Department of unfairly targeting political opponents while suggesting that DHS protects its employees from scrutiny.
<p Recently, as allegations of possible corruption came to light, U. S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro in Washington told her team that she wanted them to investigate claims of kickbacks related to contracts at DHS, according to another source familiar with the case.
It’s still unclear which U. S. Attorney’s office is handling this investigation.
Prosecutors have been waiting on results from the probe conducted by DHS’s inspector general, said one person acquainted with the investigation.
Lewandowski became closely involved with DHS early in President Donald Trump’s second term while acting as Noem’s chief adviser. On paper though, he was initially designated as a special government employee – a role intended for limited days of service.
This dual role of holding senior positions at DHS while also being classified as a special government employee was unprecedented based on accounts from several people who spoke with CNN.
DHS officials eventually saw Lewandowski as Noem’s gatekeeper because of his ties with Trump. He departed when Trump dismissed Noem from her position earlier this year.
Noem’s management of contracts within DHS played a significant role in her removal by Trump earlier this year when she asserted that Trump knew about a $220 million advertising campaign featuring her prominently.
Throughout her tenure at DHS, Noem also took control over financial decisions in her department by mandating that all contracts and grants exceeding $100,000 needed her approval – something she often defended as necessary for reducing waste but many Homeland Security officials found odd and unnecessary.
The inspector general Joseph Cuffari expressed concerns to Congress earlier this March that leadership at Homeland Security had obstructed some aspects of his work.
When asked about the Lewandowski investigation during a press conference on Thursday, Trump stated he wasn’t very familiar with it since it had just come to his attention. However he emphasized that if his staff are dishonest he wants them prosecuted.
“They’re stealing from me so I want my people to be honest,” Trump remarked. “And if they’re not honest I’ll have my DOJ go and do whatever they have to do.”
This story has been updated with additional details.
The-CNN-Wire
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