DHS pushes back on NY Magazine cover alleging Noem doesn’t run the agency
Department says the piece is gossip and libel; Corey Lewandowski described as an adviser, not the decision-maker behind DHS
The Department of Homeland Security pushed back against a New York Magazine cover story that claimed Kristi Noem does not actually lead the agency and that former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski is the real power behind DHS. In an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital, DHS called the piece “peddling anonymous gossip” and labeled it libelous for alleging that Lewandowski calls the shots rather than Secretary Noem.
"This NYMag hit piece reads like a preteen rage-scrolling, then prompting ChatGPT for a screed on misogyny," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital. "It's not just lazy — it's libelous — peddling anonymous gossip as fact while ignoring our exhaustive, on-the-record rebuttals that destroy their narrative." McLaughlin added that the cover misrepresents how DHS operates and emphasizes Noem’s role as the secretary who makes the ultimate decisions, with senior advisers providing input.
Noem, selected by President Donald Trump in November 2024 to lead DHS, previously served as governor of South Dakota. In the current administration, she oversees agencies including the U.S. Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The NY Magazine piece described Lewandowski as the agency’s "muscle" behind the scenes, while portraying Noem as the public face of DHS. Lewandowski has held the title of senior adviser at DHS and previously served as Trump’s 2016 campaign manager and as a senior adviser for Trump’s 2024 campaign.
DHS sought to distinguish Noem’s leadership from the type of advisory input the department says Lewandowski provides. McLaughlin said, "All decisions are made by Secretary Noem. Multiple staff have the ability to provide recommendations and input for her consideration. Mr. Lewandowski serves as an advisor." She noted that the Secretary, like her predecessors, has a team of senior advisers who help inform policy and operations.
The department also highlighted ongoing security priorities under Noem’s watch, including the management of the border and the regulatory environment for immigration enforcement. McLaughlin asserted that Noem has targeted dangerous illegal migrant criminals while overseeing a broader federal security mission across DHS components.
The NY Magazine cover story drew immediate attention for its framing of DHS’s deportation push. The piece characterized the department’s higher removal and enforcement activity during the Trump administration as part of a broader critique of a supposed surveillance state under the current leadership. In response, DHS reaffirmed that the agency’s actions and policies are set by the Secretary, with input from senior staff and advisers, rather than by any single adviser acting as a hidden “muscle.”
DHS has publicly discussed its enforcement statistics in recent months. Sources familiar with internal DHS briefings told Fox News Digital that the department has arrested more than 359,000 illegal migrants and removed more than 332,000 in the aperiod referenced by internal discussions, figures cited to illustrate ongoing border-security efforts. McLaughlin emphasized that such numbers reflect policy priorities directed by the Secretary and executed by DHS components across the country, rather than a narrative of private power beyond Noem’s control.
The NY Magazine report included a description of Noem living in U.S. Coast Guard military housing in Washington, D.C., due to security threats associated with her role. DHS said the housing arrangement is a security precaution rooted in ongoing threats from terrorist organizations, cartels and other criminal networks that DHS works to deter through enhanced border controls and law-enforcement measures.
Corey Lewandowski’s role at DHS has been described by NY Magazine as the agency’s internal muscle behind the scenes. The report framed his position as central to operations, prompting DHS to reiterate that Lewandowski is a senior adviser whose influence is consultative, not decisional, and that the Secretary makes all final policy judgments. Lewandowski’s prior experience as Trump’s campaign manager and as a senior adviser to the 2024 campaign is cited by DHS to contextualize his standing within the administration, while underscoring that the official chain of command remains presidentially designated and agency-driven.
Lauren Starke, a spokesperson for NY Magazine, defended the piece, telling Fox News Digital that the cover story involved careful reporting and that multiple current and former DHS staffers, along with Trump administration officials, immigration experts and Noem associates, were consulted. Starke said there is a public interest in government accountability and that the publication stands by the reporting.
The dispute over Noem’s role comes as DHS continues to navigate internal debates over immigration policy, border security, and agency governance. While Noem’s supporters point to aggressive border enforcement and efficiency gains within DHS as hallmarks of her leadership, critics in the broader political conversation have argued about the concentration of decision-making and the influence of senior advisers on major policy choices.
The New York Magazine cover and the DHS rebuttal illustrate the high-profile tension surrounding DHS leadership as the department implements its priorities under a secretary who rose to prominence in the 2024 presidential cycle. For now, DHS maintains that Noem directs all substantive decisions, with Lewandowski and other advisers providing input in support of those decisions. The department says its leadership choices will continue to be shaped by the Secretary’s policy objectives, the needs of DHS components, and the security interests of the nation.
As the controversy over the NY Magazine cover unfolds, Noem and her team have repeatedly framed their public messaging around border security and federal efficiency, while emphasizing that the Secretary is the ultimate decision-maker within DHS. The magazine’s response to DHS’s critique emphasized that the reporting drew on a broad set of sources and a commitment to accountability—an assertion that continues to be contested by DHS officials who say the reporting mischaracterizes the agency’s leadership structure. The debate underscores a larger conversation about how executive agencies are led, narrated, and held accountable amid a highly scrutinized political environment.
