Scoop: White House suspicious of Lewandowski's "temp" work

• But administration officials tell Axios they believe Lewandowski — a constant presence with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who acts as her de facto chief of staff — has gamed the system by undercounting his work hours to avoid leaving his unpaid job when he should have.
• White House officials began monitoring Lewandowski's time at work in recent weeks, Axios has learned.

Zoom in: Known as SGEs, special government employees are limited to 130 days per year of unpaid work. Like recent SGE Elon Musk, they can be in senior positions and still have private employment and clients, unlike typical government workers at departments that handle hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts.

• Lewandowski, a consultant whose financial disclosure form is not available, referred requests for comment to DHS.
• The department told Axios he has worked only 69 days since he was hired shortly after Noem's Jan. 25 confirmation.
• Four administration sources tell Axios they believe that's a gross undercount, and that he's exceeded his allowed time as a temporary employee.

Behind the scenes: On July 3, the White House Counsel's Office issued a memo reminding SGEs of the 130-day limit and included guidance on how workdays are to be computed.

• A White House official said the memo was issued "government wide," and "not directed to any specific individual."

The fallout: After the memo was sent, sources say, the White House Counsel's Office and the counsel for DHS had discussions about the nature of Lewandowski's work at DHS.

• Two sources with knowledge of Lewandowski's work said he has been seen entering government buildings with other employees to avoid swiping his own badge. That way, he could work without clocking in.
• They said he doesn't always use his government email or phone number for official business, avoiding digital paper trails on government systems.
• Those observations were relayed to White House officials, one of whom told Axios: "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."
• "Mr. Lewandowski's time is kept by a career DHS employee who submits the paperwork on a biweekly basis," another White House official said.

The intrigue: Besides his proximity to power, Lewandowski's work at DHS has attracted media attention because of his close relationship with Noem. The two, married to others, have long denied rumors they're romantically involved.

• But concerns about their relationship led President Trump to nix the idea of allowing Noem to make Lewandowski her chief of staff and instead have him become an SGE, according to reports in The Atlantic and the Wall Street Journal that have been verified by Axios.
• On at least one occasion, Lewandowski has introduced himself as Noem's chief of staff, according to the New York Post.
• "Everybody's scared sh*tless" of Lewandowski, a former DHS official told Axios." The feeling is that if they go up against Corey, they're going to lose. And I would have to say they're right."

Flashback: Lewandowski managed Trump's first campaign at one point and remained an adviser to Trump except for a brief period in 2021, when he was accused of groping a GOP donor's wife in Las Vegas. (He reached a misdemeanor settlement with prosecutors.)

• Lewandowski also had a difficult relationship with Trump's 2024 campaign leadership.

Zoom out: Noem, a former South Dakota governor, has been a high-profile Cabinet secretary. She's shared photos of her frequent travel and work with DHS offices on social media, prompting speculation she may run for president in 2028.

• Lewandowski has kept a lower profile, but routinely accompanies Noem and can be spotted in the background of many photos of the secretary.
• The two have been on two multi-country South America trips and traveled to Poland, Bahrain, Italy, Florida's "Alligator Alcatraz," Los Angeles, an ICE raid in Phoenix, at least one White House event and a visit to Capitol Hill.
• That would amount to at least 15 travel workdays for Lewandowski, plus the time he's spent at the DHS offices or working remotely.

What they're saying: Lewandowski described his government role as being "Elon Musk without ... $400 billion," on a recent episode of Mark Halperin's "Next Up" podcast. He downplayed his DHS work.

• "I've got friends across the government, so maybe [Transportation Secretary] Sean Duffy calls me and says, 'Corey, can you help me?' And some of the other cabinet members, you know, whether it's [Treasury Secretary] Scott Bessent or others who say, 'Hey Corey, would you help us?'" Lewandowski told Halperin.

Between the lines: SGEs don't have to divest from their private business interests or even stop working for other private entities.

• They're also supposed to avoid conflicts of interest. When Musk was an SGE, Trump intervened to stop him from receiving a military briefing on China, where Musk has significant business interests.