Democrats Seek Criminal Charges Against Former DHS Chief Noem

Lawmakers accuse Kristi Noem of making "demonstrably false" statements to Congress about DHS contracts and Corey Lewandowski.

Mar. 16, 2026 at 6:22pm

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Congressional Democrats are seeking criminal charges against former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, accusing her of lying to Congress during recent oversight hearings. In a letter to the Department of Justice, top Democrats on the Senate and House Judiciary Committees say Noem made a "series of demonstrably false statements" regarding DHS contracts, the role of Corey Lewandowski, and other issues.

Why it matters

The allegations against Noem come weeks after President Trump ousted her from the DHS leadership role. The criminal referral highlights the ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and congressional Democrats over the president's immigration policies and the operations of the DHS.

The details

The Democrats' letter to the DOJ cites four categories of statements Noem allegedly made that could constitute perjury, including whether DHS follows court orders, Corey Lewandowski's role in DHS contracts, whether immigration enforcement has detained U.S. citizens, and the contracting process for a $220 million ad campaign featuring Noem. The lawmakers argue that Noem's testimony on the ad campaign, in particular, was "demonstrably false."

  • Noem testified before the Senate and House Judiciary Committees earlier this month.
  • Trump announced Noem would no longer serve as DHS secretary and instead take on a new role as special envoy to the Shield of the Americas earlier this month.

The players

Kristi Noem

The former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security who was recently ousted by President Trump.

Jamie Raskin

A Democratic Representative from Maryland and the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.

Dick Durbin

A Democratic Senator from Illinois and the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Corey Lewandowski

A former Trump campaign manager whose role in DHS contracts was scrutinized by the Democrats.

John Kennedy

A Republican Senator from Louisiana who pressed Noem on the $220 million DHS ad campaign during her testimony.

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What they’re saying

“A number of her statements appear to violate criminal statutes prohibiting perjury and knowingly making false statements to Congress.”

— Jamie Raskin and Dick Durbin, Top Democrats on the House and Senate Judiciary Committees

“It's something we have to defend. I'm on the Appropriations Committee. I mean, my research shows that you did not bid them out.”

— John Kennedy, Republican Senator from Louisiana

What’s next

The Department of Justice will decide whether to pursue criminal charges against Kristi Noem based on the allegations made by the congressional Democrats.

The takeaway

The criminal referral against the former DHS chief highlights the ongoing political tensions between the Trump administration and congressional Democrats over immigration enforcement and the operations of the Department of Homeland Security.