Photo Illustration: 731. Source: Department of Homeland Security
Noem Ad Blitz Benefits Media Firms Linked to Trump Campaigns
Records show DHS spent millions through subcontractors that had worked with her top aide, Corey Lewandowski. Trump fired Noem on Thursday.
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he would remove Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary after she faced bipartisan criticism for her handling of the department, including a $240 million ad campaign prominently featuring herself. A Bloomberg News investigation found that the bulk of the funds are allocated for placing ads through at least two firms with longstanding ties to Trump campaigns.
One of the DHS ad buyers, Virginia-based Strategic Media Services Inc., received more than $269 million to work on Trump’s 2024 campaign while Noem’s top aide, Corey Lewandowski, was advising the campaign’s senior leadership team, according to OpenSecrets. The second media buyer, Smart Media Group LLC, has a subsidiary that got more than $329 million in the same year working for Trump’s political action committee, Make America Great Again Inc.