REPORT: White House Growing Suspicious Of MAGA Official

White House officials have begun to suspect that a top advisor to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is fudging his time card, potentially running afoul of federal laws limiting his ability to work as a special government employee, or SGE.

The same designation that limited Elon Musk’s time in government also applies to Corey Lewandowski, the onetime Trump campaign manager who has followed Noem into the administration after advising her privately for years.

Sources near DHS told the White House that Lewandowski appears eager to skirt laws limiting SGEs to 130 days of work per year. They point to instances of him allegedly trailing other employees into the DHS headquarters as they swipe their badges, allowing him to work at the office without clocking in.

On other occasions, the sources explained, Lewandowski has allegedly tried to hide his digital footprint by using his personal phone and email account for work rather than his government device and accounts.

The SGE designation is valuable because it allows political operatives like Lewandowski to retain private sector clients while keeping a role in government, even if it’s unpaid. Furthermore, White House officials appear to be rankled by the weight Lewandowski gives to his position, on occasion allegedly introducing himself as Noem’s “chief of staff” during public outings.

A spokesperson for DHS told Axios that Lewandowski has only clocked 69 days of work for the administration over its first 200 days. Four administration sources told the outlet that the number is a gross undercount and that he’s exceeded his time as a special government employee.

On July 3, the White House Counsel’s Office issued a “government-wide” memo reminding SGEs about the limitations of their positions and to record an accurate tally of their work schedules. A White House official said the memo was “not directed to any specific individual.”

After the memo was sent, the White House Counsel’s Office and counsel with DHS met to discuss the rumors of Lewandowski’s behavior.

“We’re hearing that Corey’s doing everything — failing to swipe in, working from home, whatever — to undercount his days. It’s fair to say his work is being watched now,” one source told Axios.

“Mr. Lewandowski’s time is kept by a career DHS employee who submits the paperwork on a biweekly basis,” another White House official said.

Lewandowski briefly managed President Trump’s 2016 campaign before being sidelined amid an allegation that he assaulted a female reporter during a campaign event. He clashed with the 2024 campaign’s leadership but ultimately maintained enough goodwill to follow Noem into DHS.

His attempt to serve as her full-time chief of staff was denied by Trump amid rumors that Lewandowski and Noem were romantically linked, despite both being married. That led to the appointment of Lewandowski as a special government employee.