$220M Ad Deal, Alleged Pay-to-Play, and a Referral to DOJ

The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general has referred its investigation of Corey Lewandowski, a former "special government employee," to the Justice Department, according to a person familiar with the probe. The trail leads back to a $220 million contract for an advertising campaign starring then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and to allegations that Lewandowski tried to get paid for steering government money.

Who Has the Power

Here's the setup. Noem has publicly admitted she personally approved the pricey ad contracts, though she said Trump knew of her involvement. At his Senate confirmation hearing in March, about seven months ago, now-Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin testified that the department's inspector general was looking into the contract. Weeks before she was fired, Noem also drew scrutiny for trying to buy a $70 million luxury jet for the department she ran.

Then the probe grew. After NBC News reported that Lewandowski was alleged to have sought payment in exchange for protecting and growing the interests of the GEO Group, a company chasing government contracts unrelated to the ad campaign, a source says the investigation expanded. Sources previously described two meetings with the GEO Group where Lewandowski asked the company to pay him. One source said he wanted a "success fee." The GEO Group declined. NBC News has also reported that Lewandowski allegedly solicited direct payments from other companies in exchange for protecting and growing their DHS contracts. It's not clear whether he received any money. He denies it.

What They're Calling "Accountability"

Notice the timing. The reporting on Lewandowski's alleged shakedowns emerged only after Noem was fired and after Lewandowski, a former top Trump adviser and the first manager of his 2016 campaign, had already left the department. Nobody inside the apparatus blew a whistle while the checks were being cut. The story came out once the people at the top had moved on.

Lewandowski's attorney, Adam Trigg, offered a defense on Thursday: "Mr. Lewandowski has not been contacted by the Justice Department regarding any investigation, and he denies any wrongdoing when he was proudly serving his country in a voluntary capacity." A spokesperson said in March that the account of the GEO Group meetings was "absolutely false and did not happen — Mr. Lewandowski never demanded any payment or compensation from the Geo Group, at any time." The Wall Street Journal was first to report that the Justice Department is reviewing the allegations.

So one arm of the state investigates another, then hands the file to a third. The inspector general sits inside the department it polices. The Justice Department answers to the same president whose circle is under the microscope.

Let the Boss Speak

Asked about it at the White House Thursday, Trump said: "I heard something about it, but I don't know exactly what it is. All I know is I want my people to be honest, and if they're not going to be honest, they have to be prosecuted." He added: "I will never do anything to stop the prosecution of someone who's dishonest." He also said he has "no idea" what Lewandowski is accused of.

Then came the part that stands on its own. Trump said that if people were "dishonest, then they're stealing from me as president," and: "And if they're not honest, I'll have my DOJ go and read what they have to do. I can say this: Somebody who's dishonest, I consider them not only against the country; they're dishonest against me."

"My DOJ." His words. After Noem was ousted, he told NBC News about the $220 million ad deal: "I wasn't thrilled with it. I spent less money than that to become president. I didn't know about it."

The dishonesty he describes is measured by how it affects him, not by who got fleeced. That's the whole logic of the apparatus in a few sentences: public money moves through private hands, and the prosecution that follows is a personal favor from the man at the top.