A tense moment on Capitol Hill is going viral after Kristi Noem was confronted with a blunt question about her alleged relationship with Corey Lewandowski during a congressional hearing.
And the way she answered reportedly set Trump off…
Shared the news on social media
The exchange happened while Kristi Noem was testifying before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee about immigration enforcement and recent deadly incidents involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Noem has been in the spotlight over the last week.
On Thursday, Donald Trump announced that he is replacing her as Homeland Security Secretary, following growing bipartisan criticism of her handling of the administration’s mass deportation policies and efforts to restructure the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Trump shared the news on social media, saying that Sen. Markwayne Mullin will take over the role, effective at the end of the month.
Noem, he added, will transition to a new position as “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,” which he described as part of a new Western Hemisphere security initiative set to be unveiled at an event in Florida on Saturday.
Just days before the decision, she had to push back on a question about her relationship with a senior adviser during her testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on March 4, as lawmakers grilled her on immigration enforcement.
During the hearing, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove pressed Noem about Lewandowski’s role inside the Department of Homeland Security, before asking a question that immediately shifted the tone of the hearing.
“Did you have sexual relations with Corey Lewandowski?” the congresswoman asked.
Noem quickly pushed back.
“I am shocked we’re going down and peddling tabloid garbage in this committee.”
Lewandowski, a longtime ally of Donald Trump and manager of his 2016 presidential campaign, currently serves as an adviser connected to the department. Addressing his role, Noem said:
“He is a special government employee who works for the White House. There are thousands of them in the federal government.”
She also insisted that Lewandowski does not have decision-making authority within DHS. Rumors about a possible relationship between the two have circulated for years, though both have repeatedly denied the claims. Both Noem and Lewandowski are married.
But Kamlager-Dove made clear she believed the question was legitimate.
“It is okay for you to be offended by the question. But it is also a real question, and you should be able to answer the question clearly and without any hesitation.”
She continued:
“If someone is asking if you or any federal official is sleeping with their subordinate, you should be wanting to answer that question, because it is not about your sex life, it is about your judgment.”
The tense exchange didn’t end there.
Later in the hearing, Rep. Jared Moskowitz also pressed the issue, suggesting that a simple denial would put the rumors to rest.
“I really think you need to say the word ‘no’ into the record so that you can clear that up,” Moskowitz said.
Noem again rejected the premise of the question.
“I think the ridiculousness of this and the tabloids that you are quoting and referencing are insane.”
The final straw
She added:
“This has been something that I’ve refuted for years, and I continue to do that.”
Sources close to the White House told the New York Post that the “final straw” leading President Trump to dismiss Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was her shocking refusal to answer a question at Wednesday’s House hearing.
Trump had reportedly been growing increasingly frustrated with Noem and was already weighing her removal after she told senators on Tuesday that he had approved $220 million in ad campaigns featuring herself.
But it was her failure to answer the question about her relationship with Lewandowski that ultimately sealed her fate, according to New York Post.
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