Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is staying at a military base home usually occupied by the top Coast Guard official because she claims to fear for her safety.
Noem, dubbed “ICE Barbie” for her love of cosplaying for the cameras in a variety of uniformed roles, has been staying at the usual residence of the Coast Guard commandant at the Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C., rent-free, sources told The Washington Post.
Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told the Post that Noem decided to move on the base after the Daily Mail published photos outside of Noem’s home. McLaughlin said Noem had been “so horribly doxxed and targeted that she is no longer able to safely live in her own apartment” but that Noem is still paying rent at her residence in the Navy Yard area of D.C.
McLaughlin said Noem’s safety fears are justified given that DHS is “going after the worst of the worst,” which she said includes “hundreds if not thousands of members of international cartels and terrorist organizations.” As head of DHS, Noem received a security detail, which was increased following the story in the Mail.
In the Mail’s April story on Noem’s “cozy DC living arrangement,” the tabloid reported that she and her de facto chief of staff, Corey Lewandowski, were living in apartments across the street from each other and that he often visited her home.
The Daily Beast reported Thursday that the White House is investigating Lewandowski for allegedly undercounting his hours to retain his unpaid job as a “special government employee.”
Lewandowski had hoped to secure a position as Noem’s chief of staff, but President Donald Trump nixed the idea because of media reports that the pair was having an affair. Both Noem and Lewandowski, who are married to other people, have denied that allegation.
The Daily Beast’s The Swamp newsletter reported in February that Lewandowski was spotted in Noem’s apartment building getting in an elevator and carrying boxes to the trash room.
In May, Noem announced that Admiral Kevin E. Lunday would be President Donald Trump’s pick for commandant of the Coast Guard. Lunday has not yet been confirmed by the Senate and is currently serving as acting commandant.
In a follow-up statement to the Daily Beast, McLaughlin said Noem has “faced vicious doxing on the dark web and a surge in death threats” after photos of her address were published online.
“As the DHS officers Secretary Noem leads face a 1,000 percent increase in assaults against them, the Washington Post chose to again publish where Secretary Noem is staying—endangering her security," McLaughlin said. “It’s a shame that the media chooses sensationalism over the safety of people enforcing America’s laws to keep Americans safe.”
McLaughlin added that Noem’s stay at the base is just a temporary measure.
The home has been vacant since the Trump administration fired the previous Coast Guard commandant, Admiral Linda Lee Fagan, and evicted her in February.
Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on homeland security, has questioned why Noem—who earns around $200,000 a year and is estimated to be worth around $5 million, according to Forbes—is living rent-free in a home that should be awarded to top maritime officials.
“It’s a real insult to the brave men and women who are protecting our shores that she thinks that house belongs to her instead of to the Coast Guard,” Murphy told the Post.
