Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stunned and shocked her own staff with an explosive, profanity-filled meltdown during a tense DHS meeting this summer. Sources say the scene quickly devolved into “out-of-control screaming” as Noem and her top aide Corey Lewandowski unleashed harsh, personal attacks on employees, dropping “multiple F-bombs” and accusing colleagues of leaking information. What was supposed to be a damage-control session in response to critical news reports instead exposed the chaos and fear swirling at the heart of the department.
According to multiple sources cited by New York Magazine, the meeting, held in response to damaging news reports about Noem’s leadership, spiraled into chaos almost immediately. With her was Corey Lewandowski — her de facto chief of staff and long-time political enforcer — whose presence has been a source of growing tension inside the department.
“They were screaming!” one DHS employee told the magazine. “The level of disrespect and screaming at everybody in that room — I think people were really shocked and taken aback.”
Noem and Lewandowski called the emergency session after reports surfaced in June showing that the Secretary had insisted on personally approving all payments over $100,000 — a move that effectively gummed up the department’s operations and led to internal frustration. Rather than take responsibility, the pair lashed out at staff.
Sources said Noem dropped “multiple F-bombs” during the meeting and accused officials of “lining their pockets” with government money — an accusation many found ironic given the rumors swirling around the pair’s own conduct.
“They were clearly embarrassed,” a former DHS staffer told the magazine. “They fed off each other’s energy and just went off the rails.”
The spectacle only deepened concerns about Noem’s ability to lead one of the most critical arms of the federal government. One administration official described the mood among DHS staff as fearful and demoralized.
“People are scared s—less of Corey,” the official said.
Lewandowski — best known for his work on Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign — was brought into DHS as a “Special Government Employee” after the White House scrapped his official appointment over ethics concerns, including alleged foreign payments and persistent rumors of an affair with Noem.
That rumor, which sources called the “worst-kept secret in DC,” has only fueled more instability inside the agency, as the duo’s personal and professional entanglements seem to be bleeding into official decision-making.
“Everything has to go through Corey,” said a lobbyist familiar with DHS operations. “It’s all based on ‘You’re my buddy, or you’re not my buddy. You hired my friend, or you didn’t hire my friend.’ That place just runs that way.”
For now, neither Noem nor Lewandowski have publicly responded to the explosive allegations. But inside DHS, the mood is grim — and there’s a growing sense that what happened behind closed doors was not an isolated incident, but part of a larger pattern of dysfunction at the top.
If this was meant to be a show of control, it did the opposite.
