'Salacious' rumors engulfing Kristi Noem pose national security threat: ex-prosecutor

Swirling speculation of an affair between two top Trump administration officials is more than merely "salacious," a former federal prosecutor warned Tuesday — it has national security implications.

Kristi Noem, the Department of Homeland Security secretary, and Corey Lewandowski, Trump's former 2016 campaign manager, have denied rumors they're having an affair.

But reports have suggested they're barely even trying to hide it.

"The two supposed lovebirds haven’t been doing much to quell all the rumors over the years," Slate's Christina Cauterucci wrote on August. "One source told the New York Post that their handsiness at a hotel bar during the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2021 was 'absurdly blatant and public,' with more than 100 other conference-goers in the room. Two other Post sources said they saw Noem sitting on Lewandowski’s lap at an event at Mar-a-Lago in 2020."

Lewandowski was even denied a role as Homeland Security chief of staff out of “concern” for his relationship with Noem.

On Tuesday, law professor and former federal prosecutor Barb McQuade laid out national security concerns over the rumors.

I don’t know whether reports of an affair between Noem and Lewandowski are true, but they are more than 'salacious' 'gossip.' If true, they could be used as leverage over the official charged with protecting our homeland security. Clearances get denied for such things," she warned on X.