What started as a Democratic investigation into Kristi Noem’s Department of Homeland Security ad spending has now gone bipartisan. House Republicans are officially joining the probe into the $220 million campaign launched by the former secretary—and her ex-adviser, Corey Lewandowski.
The scrutiny began in earnest on Tuesday when Senators Richard Blumenthal and Peter Welch sent letters demanding documents and contracts from three companies connected to Noem’s inner circle. The campaign, which focused on anti-immigrant messaging, had a price tag so massive it reportedly helped trigger Noem’s firing earlier this month.
The first target was Safe America Media, a company incorporated just eight days before receiving a $143 million no-bid contract to produce a slate of DHS advertisements. According to the senators, the company appears to have no office, website, or social media presence, raising serious questions about how such a young entity secured a nine-figure federal contract.
The second letter went to The Strategy Group, which received a $226,137 subcontract to handle film shoots, radio spots, and video production for Safe America Media. The company is run by Benjamin Yoho, husband of former DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin. Yoho has long ties to Noem, having produced ads for her 2022 gubernatorial campaign, and reportedly got involved in DHS projects through Lewandowski. While McLaughlin claimed neither she nor her husband had DHS contracts, the senators’ letters note that the subcontract was indeed issued.
Finally, the third letter targeted People Who Think, a marketing consulting firm that received a $77 million no-bid contract. Jay Connaughton, its managing partner, also has connections to Lewandowski, who helped link the company to Noem’s DHS team.
House Republicans are now bringing their oversight to the table. Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, told The New York Post that his panel is “already doing a lot of oversight” on the ad campaign and other DHS spending under Noem and Lewandowski.
“I think Corey had his hands in a lot and probably should not have,” Garbarino said. “We are looking into a lot of contracts.”
The ad campaign’s size and process are drawing ire from across the aisle—and even from President Trump, who reportedly said he “wasn’t thrilled” about the spending, noting he spent less to win the presidency. The campaign included an ad showing Noem on horseback in front of Mount Rushmore, promising an “American dream … as big as these endless skies” for legal immigrants while emphasizing deportation for those entering illegally.
Lewandowski maintains he was only an “unpaid volunteer” at DHS, despite sources claiming he boasted he could “do whatever the f–k I want” at the agency.
With both parties now demanding contracts, subcontracts, invoices, and all correspondence, the $220 million DHS ad campaign has evolved from a political publicity effort into a full-blown bipartisan investigation—one that could have serious consequences for everyone involved, including criminal prosecution.
