Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and senior adviser Corey Lewandowski are facing renewed scrutiny after The Wall Street Journal reported that a U.S. Coast Guard pilot was allegedly dismissed following a dispute over a missing blanket during official travel aboard a Department of Homeland Security aircraft.
According to the Journal, Lewandowski - described as a senior adviser at DHS - ordered the pilot removed after a blanket belonging to Noem was not transferred to a replacement aircraft during a flight change prompted by maintenance issues. The incident reportedly occurred aboard a government jet used for Cabinet-level travel.
The reported episode did not end with a permanent dismissal. The Journal said the pilot was quietly reinstated because there was no immediate alternative available to operate the aircraft. Requests for comment to the Coast Guard and DHS went unanswered, The Daily Beast reported when it first highlighted the account.
A DHS spokeswoman speaking to the Journal did not directly address the blanket allegation, instead stating that Noem has "made personnel decisions to deliver excellence." The department has not publicly confirmed whether any formal employment action was taken against the pilot.
The controversy comes amid broader questions about Noem's use of a Boeing 737 MAX leased by DHS. The aircraft, originally designated for "high-profile deportations," has reportedly been used for Cabinet travel as well. Staff members have referred to the jet as Noem's "big, beautiful jet," according to the Journal.
The department is expected to purchase the aircraft for approximately $70 million. That figure is roughly double the cost of seven other planes reportedly being acquired for deportation operations. A DHS spokesperson told the Journal the aircraft is being used for both removals and Cabinet-level missions and argued it is more cost-effective than deploying military aircraft.
The optics have intensified attention on Lewandowski's role within DHS. Officially designated as an unpaid "special government employee," he is permitted to work no more than 130 days annually for the government. DHS maintains that he complies with that limit. However, four administration officials told Axios last year they believed he had exceeded it.
Lewandowski, a longtime political operative who managed Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and later advised his 2024 run, has been described as functioning in practice as Noem's de facto chief of staff. An exposé in New York magazine characterized his relationship with Noem as "widely understood," and a Federal Emergency Management Agency official previously referred to it as the "worst-kept secret in D.C."
The blanket episode, though seemingly minor in isolation, intersects with larger concerns about travel spending, personnel authority and internal governance at DHS. In Washington, small operational decisions can take on symbolic weight when layered over high-profile policy battles and public scrutiny of executive branch conduct.
