Kristi Noem and rumored lover Corey Lewandowski are traveling through the skies in a luxury jet meant for “high-profile deportations”—complete with a private cabin in back.
The 737 MAX airliner is being leased by the Department of Homeland Security, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, but Noem’s department is expected to buy it for about $70 million.
That amount, according to the outlet, is twice as much as all seven other planes that DHS is buying for deportations.
Lewandowki and Noem have each denied having a relationship, which is reportedly the
Lewandowki and Noem have each denied having a relationship, which is reportedly the
Referred to jokingly by DHS staff as Noem’s “big, beautiful jet,” the airplane was earmarked for “high-profile deportations,” people familiar with the matter said.
When asked about the discrepancy in the plane’s stated purpose and how Noem and Lewandowksi were using it, a DHS spokesperson told the Journal that both Cabinet-level travel and deportations were taking place. The spokesperson claimed that the commercial plane was cheaper than a military plane to carry out deportations, even though DHS most often uses chartered flights as opposed to military ones.
A DHS representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast, nor did Lewandowski.
Noem, 54, and Lewandowksi, her 52-year-old aide, have for years been rumored to be in a relationship. It was “widely understood” that they were romantically involved, according to a New York magazine exposé last September. A FEMA official called it the “worst-kept secret in D.C.”