Kristi Noem and rumored love Corey Lewandowski are taking to the skies on a luxury jet designed for a “high-profile deportation” with a private cabin in the back.
The 737 MAX airliner is being leased by the Department of Homeland Security, but Noem’s department is expected to purchase it for about $70 million, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
That number is twice as many as all seven other planes purchased by the Department of Homeland Security for deportations, the outlet reported.
Lewandowski and Noem have both denied being in a relationship, which was reportedly
The plane, nicknamed Noem’s “big, beautiful plane” by Department of Homeland Security staff, was designated for “high-profile deportations,” people familiar with the matter said.
Asked about the discrepancy in the plane’s purported purpose and how Noem and Levandoux used it, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman told the Journal that both cabinet-level travel and deportations were occurring. The spokesperson claimed that while the Department of Homeland Security most often uses charter flights rather than military aircraft, commercial aircraft are cheaper than military aircraft to carry out deportations.
A model of the Boeing 737 MAX used by Noem and Lewandowski. / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Representatives for the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment, and neither did Levandowski.
Noem, 54, and her assistant Lewandoux, 52, have been rumored to be in a relationship for years. They were “widely believed” to be in a relationship, New York magazine reported last September. FEMA officials call it “Washington, D.C.’s worst-kept secret”
Corey Lewandowski. /Andrew Harnick/Getty Images
The Daily Beast’s Swamp newsletter reported last February that Lewandowski was found taking out the trash at Noem’s Washington, D.C., home.
Both men deny having an affair. Noem and Lewandowski are both married and have three and four children respectively.
When asked previously about the rumors, the Department of Homeland Security said it “does not waste time on salacious, baseless gossip.”
But people who spoke to The Wall Street Journal said the two did not hide their relationship.
In addition to the 737 Max, Noem and Levandaux have flown on other aircraft.
In one incident, Levandowski fired a Coast Guard pilot after Noem replaced her plane because of maintenance issues, but her blanket was not brought, the Wall Street Journal reported. But the pilot was not out of work for long and was told to start flying commercially once they all arrived at their destination. He was reinstated because there was no one else who could bring back Norm and Lewandowski.
President Donald Trump has so far appeared to resist pressure to fire Noem, but there are signs she is coming under pressure. Last month, Trump sent border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis to ease tensions following the deaths of Renee Goode and Alex Pretty.
The move was notable because of Norm’s troubled history with Homan. The two clashed over how to manage deportations.
In fact, the Wall Street Journal reported that Noem tracked her television appearances with Homan and would criticize her own staff if she saw Homan being interviewed. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security claimed that the report was false to the Wall Street Journal.
