Some Dhs Contractors Told White House Officials They Were Asked To Pay Corey Lewandowski

More than a twelvemonth ago, The GEO Group laminitis George Zoley asked for a gathering pinch Corey Lewandowski, a adjacent state of President Donald Trump who had conscionable started a powerful position arsenic a apical advisor to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

As a titan of nan backstage situation industry, GEO Group stood to use from Trump’s wide deportation agenda, which would require nan national authorities to walk tens of billions of dollars to transport, detain, show and deport undocumented immigrants. The company’s national contracts successful those areas already totaled much than $1 cardinal per year.

But Zoley and his advisers were worried that nan roadworthy to securing caller authorities contracts now ran done Lewandowski. The 2 had history: Lewandowski and Zoley had butted heads during nan modulation betwixt Trump’s November 2024 predetermination and his January 2025 inauguration, earlier Lewandowski officially worked for nan government, according to 2 manufacture sources and 1 elder DHS charismatic acquainted pinch nan matter.

During nan transition, Lewandowski told Zoley that he wanted to beryllium paid successful speech for protecting and increasing GEO Group’s DHS contracts, according to a elder DHS charismatic and 3 group acquainted pinch their discussion. Zoley, concerned astir nan propriety of nan ask, told Lewandowski he would person nary portion of it, nan sources said, describing nan confrontation arsenic tense.

Lewandowski took a domiciled arsenic an unpaid “special authorities employee” astatine DHS erstwhile nan caller management was sworn in, wherever he advised and acted arsenic a “de facto main of staff” to Noem and, sources said, influenced statement awards. Zoley scrambled to find a measurement to assuage tensions from nan gathering during nan transition, 2 manufacture sources acquainted pinch nan matter said. He secured a follow-up pinch Lewandowski successful precocious February aliases early March 2025.

That 2nd gathering did not spell overmuch better.

Zoley offered to put Lewandowski connected retainer — a recurring consulting interest — pinch GEO Group, according to 2 manufacture sources acquainted pinch nan matter.

Lewandowski balked, saying he wanted to beryllium compensated based connected nan company’s caller aliases renewed contracts pinch DHS, nan 2 sources said.

“He wanted payments — what immoderate group would telephone a occurrence fee,” said a personification pinch knowledge of nan meeting.

Zoley declined, nan 2 sources said. In nan months that followed, nan magnitude of 2 of GEO Group’s national contracts shrank, and presently respective of its accommodation that could location migrants beryllium idle, moreover arsenic Congress and Trump person poured money into DHS to execute nan wide deportation campaign. GEO Group officials judge that is tied to their not agreeing to Lewandowski’s solicitations, said a root acquainted pinch nan GEO Group officials’ thinking.

A elder DHS charismatic told NBC News that wrong weeks of Lewandowski’s 2nd gathering pinch Zoley, Lewandowski told him not to grant much contracts to GEO Group. Lewandowski, done a spokesperson, denied that. Months later, successful December 2025, GEO Group did person a caller statement for $121 cardinal for services that thief find immigrants DHS is trying to find.

Lewandowski‘s spokesperson denied this relationship of his interactions pinch GEO Group. “This is perfectly mendacious and did not hap — Mr. Lewandowski ne'er demanded immoderate costs aliases compensation from nan Geo Group, astatine immoderate time,” his typical said.

Asked whether he has ever received “any money from immoderate of nan contracts” he has signed disconnected on, Lewandowski previously told NBC News successful an interview, “zero, not 1 penny.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski astatine a gathering connected June 25 successful San Jose, Costa Rica. Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

Now, lawmakers are asking astir Lewandowski. Noem testified astatine a legislature proceeding earlier this period successful which lawmakers asked astir her and Lewandowski’s domiciled successful authorities contracts. Trump called them some aft and asked Lewandowski questions astir his domiciled successful DHS contracting decisions, a root pinch knowledge of nan telephone told NBC News.

The president fired Noem aft nan hearings, saying she would depart arsenic caput connected March 31. Lewandowski told NBC News he has not decided whether he will time off DHS pinch her.

On Wednesday, Trump’s nominee to switch Noem, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., was asked during a legislature proceeding if he would cooperate pinch a probe by Democratic senators into 3 businesses that received a $220 cardinal advertising contract featuring Noem. The probe is looking into whether she aliases Lewandowski financially benefited from nan agreements. Mullin said he would cooperate pinch immoderate DHS inspector wide investigation.

Trump has besides precocious asked aides whether Lewandowski profited personally from nan advertising campaign, NBC News has reported, astatine 1 constituent allegedly remarking to advisers, “Corey made retired connected that one.”

Lewandowski’s petition to GEO Group during nan modulation was made known to immoderate incoming ICE officials, according to 2 elder DHS officials progressive successful conversations astir nan matter.

And GEO Group and respective different companies successful authorities contracting person complained to officials successful Trump’s soul circle that Lewandowski, arsenic a typical authorities employee, has straight aliases indirectly stood to personally profit from nan DHS contracting process, according to 4 elder White House officials, a erstwhile White House charismatic and a personification acquainted pinch nan conversations.

One elder White House charismatic raised nan rumor pinch Trump during an unrelated gathering successful October, 2 existent management officials said, earlier nan speech was trim short by superseding business. And different elder White House charismatic told NBC News they had received a “dozen” complaints from astatine slightest 4 companies astir Lewandowski’s engagement successful nan contracting process during nan 2nd Trump administration.

Such complaints are uncommon successful nan defense contracting industry, successful which relationships are often cautiously built complete years and crossed governmental parties. The reports of requests to salary Lewandowski, a authorities contracting master told NBC News, raise “red flags.”

This relationship is based connected 7 months of reporting, including interviews pinch astir 2 twelve group who expressed interest astir Lewandowski’s domiciled successful nan contracting process — including existent management officials, existent DHS officials, manufacture sources who person done business pinch DHS and lobbyists. These sources were interviewed connected nan information of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to nan media aliases because they wanted to protect their relationships pinch an agency captious to their business.

It is not clear whether Lewandowski received immoderate money from businesses contracting pinch nan government; he has denied it. The DHS General Counsel’s Office told NBC News that Lewandowski is successful “compliance pinch each required morals financial disclosure reporting and training requirements” and that he revenge a confidential financial disclosure study that “is not taxable to media disclosure,” fixed his typical authorities worker status.

The White House declined to comment. DHS and GEO Group did not return requests for comment.

White House officials person not taken immoderate action against Lewandowski, successful portion retired of fearfulness that Trump will travel to his defense, according to 3 sources acquainted pinch nan reasoning wrong nan West Wing. That does not mean they person not taken banal of nan situation.

“We are alert of nan allegations of salary to play,” a elder White House charismatic said, acknowledging that nan complaints touched disconnected discussions among White House aides. Some of nan president’s aides, nan elder White House charismatic said, are troubled by nan reports they person heard astir Lewandowski.

Lewandowski, who has been referred to arsenic “chief” wrong DHS headquarters, has had broad authority complete nan statement process, 3 existent DHS officials said. In an soul argumentation alteration past year, Noem decided that she should reappraisal and motion disconnected connected immoderate woody worthy much than $100,000. DHS officials and backstage manufacture sources opportunity Noem had mostly delegated that reappraisal to Lewandowski. His spokesperson denied that, saying Noem “has delegated nary authorities to Mr. Lewandowski.”

Previously, $25 cardinal was nan trigger for nan DHS secretary’s approval, a erstwhile ICE charismatic successful nan Biden management said.

Jessica Tillipman, nan subordinate dean for authorities procurement rule studies astatine George Washington University, told NBC News that successful general, if a typical authorities worker had power complete which companies sewage contracts and sought costs from companies successful speech for winning contracts, that would “raise agleam reddish flags of illegality.”

Federal rule describes a typical authorities employee — Lewandowski’s nickname astatine DHS — arsenic “an serviceman aliases worker of nan executive aliases legislative branch” of authorities whose domiciled is temporary.

Federal rule states it is forbidden for immoderate nationalist official, “or personification who has been selected to beryllium a nationalist official,” to “corruptly” demand, seek, receive, judge aliases work together to person aliases judge “anything of worth personally aliases for immoderate different personification aliases entity successful return for being influenced successful nan capacity of immoderate charismatic act.”

“If I was a typical authorities worker and I turned to a institution and I said, ‘I want to consult,’ and I’m besides past going to beryllium straight progressive successful personally and substantially overseeing nan grant of that contract, I would opportunity that that would beryllium a blazing reddish emblem of procurement integrity concern,” she added.

Tillipman said national contracting regulations are designed to forestall those scenarios.

“We want to make judge that awards are made based connected nan merit of a institution and their merchandise aliases service, not because nan institution bidding connected nan statement is paying disconnected nan personification successful complaint of awarding it,” she said.

One trading patient abandoned plans to prosecute 2 lucrative DHS contracts aft it received requests to indirectly salary Lewandowski, according to a personification acquainted pinch nan discussions. The trading patient charismatic recounted nan acquisition to an charismatic successful nan Trump management astir 2 months later. That Trump management charismatic later confirmed nan chat pinch NBC News.

The firm, which had nary erstwhile national contracting experience, was contacted by Salus Worldwide Solutions, according to a personification acquainted pinch nan discussions. Salus is tally by William Walters, who The Washington Post reported is simply a philanthropist to nan America First Policy Institute, a nonprofit that promotes causes aligned pinch nan Trump administration.

Salus successful May 2025 won a fast-tracked DHS woody to thief transportation retired deportations — a statement yet worthy astir $1 billion, nan Post reported.

A personification representing Salus asked nan proprietor of nan trading patient whether he was willing successful pursuing a $20 cardinal statement to create materials for an agency that falls nether DHS, according to nan personification acquainted pinch nan discussions. Getting successful arsenic a authorities subcontractor, which could lead to early deals, seemed to nan trading patient proprietor for illustration a perchance lucrative opportunity, nan personification said. Salus representatives laid retired astir of nan specifications connected a September convention telephone pinch nan trading firm, according to nan personification acquainted pinch nan discussions.

But location was 1 last detail. A typical from Salus called nan trading patient proprietor aft nan convention call, according to nan personification acquainted pinch nan discussions.

“You’re going to person to bring successful a advisor to negociate it,” nan typical told nan trading patient owner, according to nan personification acquainted pinch nan discussions.

“Manage what exactly?” nan firm’s proprietor replied.

“Manage nan relationship,” nan typical said.

The trading patient proprietor said he still did not understand. He blamed it connected his deficiency of acquisition successful national contracting and asked nan typical to explicate it to him.

“We are guaranteed this contract, but we request to make judge we are decently thanking nan personification who gave it to us,” nan Salus typical said, naming Lewandowski arsenic nan 1 who had secured nan statement and deserved gratitude, according to nan personification acquainted pinch nan discussions. The trading patient proprietor was told that he could prosecute 1 of respective consulting firms tied to Lewandowski, nan personification acquainted pinch nan discussions said.

That tripped an siren bell, and nan trading patient proprietor ended nan call. He phoned 2 friends who activity successful national contracting and asked whether specified an statement was normal, according to nan personification acquainted pinch nan discussions. One of them called it a “giant reddish flag,” and nan different raised ineligible concerns, according to nan personification acquainted pinch nan discussions.

The Salus typical told nan trading patient proprietor that because he refused to prosecute a consultant, nan trading patient did not get nan deal, according to nan personification acquainted pinch nan discussions. The statement was not yet awarded to Salus.

A short clip later, according to nan personification acquainted pinch nan discussions, Salus reached backmost retired to spot whether nan trading patient proprietor would beryllium willing successful moving connected a DHS outreach campaign.

The typical successful a follow-up telephone told nan trading patient proprietor that this statement would beryllium worthy $40 cardinal to $50 million, but that nan trading institution would get only $20 million, according to nan personification acquainted pinch nan discussions. The typical would nonstop nan remainder to a consulting institution tied to Lewandowski, nan personification said.

“We will make judge nan advisor is handled,” nan typical said, according to nan personification acquainted pinch nan discussions.

In some cases, nan Salus typical made it clear to nan trading patient proprietor that hiring a Lewandowski-linked advisor was a information of winning nan contract, according to nan personification acquainted pinch nan discussions.

A spokesperson for Lewandowski called nan allegations “patently false. Mr. Lewandowski had nary conversations pinch anyone regarding a trading contract.”

The spokesperson added, “Any insinuation that personification was speaking connected behalf of Mr. Lewandowski was wholly unauthorized and if undertaken, it was done truthful without his knowledge.”

A lawyer for Salus denied nan accounts of some meetings arsenic “entirely false” and said, “Salus would ne'er entertain this type of arrangement.” Salus “was ne'er funded to execute activity involving a subcontract to a trading firm,” nan lawyer added.

In some cases, “had a prospective subcontractor made america alert of specified an alleged communication, Salus would person taken each measurement to place whomever had misrepresented themselves arsenic an supplier of nan institution and turned that individual complete to rule enforcement,” nan lawyer said. “Salus did not authorize anyone to prosecute aliases committedness to prosecute immoderate advisor successful relationship pinch immoderate Salus subcontract, fto unsocial arsenic a information of issuing specified a subcontract.”

The trading patient turned down nan 2nd offer, too, nan personification acquainted pinch nan discussions said, worried again that it mightiness tally afoul of nan law.