Kristi Noem Makes Rare Public Appearance with Husband Amid Upcoming Senate Inquiry

Kristi Noem recently made a public appearance with her seldom-seen spouse amidst a Senate inquiry regarding Donald Trump’s controversial immigration proceedings.

The Homeland Security Secretary received the backing of her husband, Bryon Noem, along with the support of ‘angel moms’—women whose children have tragically died due to actions of illegal immigrants—as she attended the Senate Judiciary Committee session on Tuesday.

In the past few months, she has frequently been seen with Corey Lewandowski, her long-standing adviser, which has fueled persistent rumors of a personal relationship between them.

Reports from the Daily Mail have previously suggested that Noem and Lewandowski have been involved in a romantic affair spanning years. Both parties, who are married, have consistently denied these allegations.

An insider from the Department of Homeland Security informed the Daily Mail that Noem’s choice to appear at the hearing with her husband was a strategic move to manage public perception amid ongoing speculation about her marriage.

‘The fact she’s bringing her family to these events instead of the usual Lewandowski tells me she’s aware of how she looks in the media and that she’s trying to get the news cycles about her and Lewandowski behind her,’ official said.

Senators pressed the Homeland Security secretary over her high-end travel, including the use of private jets, and the department’s controversial immigration crackdown in Minneapolis that resulted in the deaths of two Americans. 

DHS is currently operating under a partial shutdown after a funding lapse that began in February, when Senate Democrats blocked a full-year appropriations bill over objections to Noem’s immigration enforcement policies. As a result, roughly 90 percent of DHS employees are continuing to work without pay.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on ‘Oversight of the Department of Homeland Security,’ on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 3

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem takes her seat as she arrives to testify during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight of the Department of Homeland Security, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on March 3

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem takes her seat as she arrives to testify during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight of the Department of Homeland Security, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on March 3

Kristi and Bryon Noem have been married since 1992 and have three children

Corey Lewandowski is seen leaving Kristi Noem’s building with an overnight bag on Thursday, April 24th, 2025

A former FEMA employee disrupted Noem’s opening remarks and was later escorted out of the hearing room by multiple Capitol Police officers.

Noem blasted the Democratic-led shutdown of DHS as ‘reckless’ and ‘unnecessary,’ accusing lawmakers of holding the department hostage and undermining national security. 

‘I want to thank my husband for being here in support as well,’ Noem said at the conclusion of her opening remarks. The couple have been married since 1992 and have three children.

Kristi Noem arrives to testify before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on ‘Oversight of the Department of Homeland Security,’ on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 3

US Senator John Kennedy, Republican from Louisiana, speaks with a group of mothers who say they lost children to violence by undocumented immigrants, before US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem arrives to testify during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight of the Department of Homeland Security, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on March 3

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem arrives to testify during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight of the Department of Homeland Security, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on March 3

Terry Almanza holds a picture of her late daughter Sydney Schergen, who died from ecstasy (MDMA) overdose, ahead of U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s appearance before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on ‘Oversight of the Department of Homeland Security,’ on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 3