Insiders Reveal Trump May Axe ICE Barbie Over Secret Romance

For Kristi Noem, love could cost her her job.

The Bulwark newspaper reported Sunday that Donald Trump is considering firing the Homeland Security Secretary because of the controversial hiring of her alleged lover, Corey Lewandowski.

Three former Homeland Security officials told the newspaper that the president’s top advisers are increasingly exasperated by Noem’s controversial—and married—partner, and that for this reason alone, she could soon be forced to resign.

“It’s a disaster,” one of the former officials said. “It’s catastrophic. They’re going to destroy everything. I just hope the new secretary arrives in time.”

These officials added that Trump could take action in January, when Democrat Abigail Spanberger succeeds Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, whom his advisers are secretly promoting as a possible replacement for Noem.

Noem, who is married, and her chief adviser, whose handling of emotional outbursts is notorious, have repeatedly denied their alleged affair, which has been described as Washington’s “best-kept secret.” Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager, is also known as Noem’s “guardian.” A special official, he travels with her, has a say in personnel matters, and influences law enforcement.

During their tenure, they faced increasing scrutiny regarding their financial mismanagement. In November, they reportedly ordered ten planes from Spirit Airlines before realizing they lacked engines.

Officials at the Department of Homeland Security warned Noem that the purchase was unrealistic and that it would be far less expensive to use other airlines. However, after an investigation, they discovered that Spirit—which had already filed for bankruptcy twice—didn’t even own the planes and that the engines would have to be purchased separately, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Lewandowski also spearheaded efforts to replace the leadership of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) nationwide with Border Patrol veterans in order to implement a more militaristic approach to Trump’s immigration policy, including the aggressive “Midway Blitz” in Chicago.

As an unpaid special government employee, Lewandowski is legally permitted to work only 130 days a year. In August, Axios revealed that the White House was conducting a secret investigation into this drastic reduction in his working hours.

If Noem and her controversial partner are fired, it is unlikely that Trump himself will announce it.

Last week, a Trump administration official claimed that Trump was obsessed with “pleasing people,” a detail mentioned in the book “American Canto” by Olivia Notzi, a former New York magazine correspondent in Washington.

During his first term, Trump—who had tried to trademark “You’re Fired” in 2004—rarely informed his staff of his dismissals.

The Daily Beast reported at the time that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson learned of his termination while he was in the bathroom. Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, communications director Anthony Scaramucci, and White House staff secretary Rob Porter were all fired by then-chief of staff John Kelly, who later resigned.