Grace (@graceful.bsky.social)

A $220 Million DHS Slush Fund for Noem’s Friends Is Corruption Text SIGN PWZEJJ to 50409 — I’m writing to demand immediate congressional investigations into a sprawling corruption scheme inside the Department of Homeland Security under Secretary Kristi Noem. According to extensive reporting, Noem’s DHS secretly funneled taxpayer money from a $220 million “emergency” border ad campaign to a Republican consulting firm with deep personal, political, and financial ties to Noem and her senior aides. This isn’t border security — it’s self-dealing with public money. DHS invoked a “national emergency” to bypass the competitive bidding rules that protect taxpayers from exactly this kind of misconduct. The resulting contracts exploded into a nine-figure slush fund: $77 million went to a Louisiana GOP ad firm, and a staggering $143 million went to a shell LLC in Delaware formed just days before winning the deal. Hidden beneath these structures was a well-connected political firm — the Strategy Group — run by the husband of Noem’s own chief DHS spokesperson. That firm worked directly on DHS ads, including a Mount Rushmore shoot starring Noem herself on horseback. But the Strategy Group was carefully concealed as a subcontractor, allowing DHS leadership to obscure the money flow to Noem’s allies. Contracting experts describe these ties as clear red flags for ethical violations, conflicts of interest, and potentially unlawful favoritism. As one federal procurement authority put it, “It’s corrupt, is the word.” This scandal didn’t begin at DHS. As governor, Noem’s administration pushed through an $8.5 million state advertising contract for the same firm, despite internal concerns and evidence that senior officials were pressured to steer the deal to Noem’s chosen vendor. That same circle of advisers — including political operative Corey Lewandowski and Noem’s close aides — has now migrated into DHS, where the sums are larger and the oversight weaker. The pattern is unmistakable: public money is being routed to political friends, allies, and former campaign vendors, under cover of manufactured “emergencies” that conveniently erase transparency. Meanwhile, the shell company receiving the largest portion of DHS’s funds — Safe America Media — has no track record to justify handling a nine-figure federal contract. Its owner’s own firm reported only five employees during COVID relief filings. Where the $143 million went remains completely undisclosed. This is precisely the kind of corruption that competitive bidding rules, ethics laws, and congressional oversight exist to prevent. No cabinet secretary should have unilateral control over tens of billions in public funds — and Noem has reportedly required that she personally approve any DHS payment over $100,000. That is not a safeguard. It is a warning sign. I urge you to demand: • Immediate hearings by the House and Senate Homeland Security and Oversight Committees • Subpoenas for DHS contracting records, including all subcontractors • A full investigation by the DHS Inspector General into conflicts of interest, improper steering, and misuse of emergency authorities • A legislative fix limiting emergency contracting powers to prevent future abuse Taxpayers deserve accountability. DHS is not a campaign arm. Congress cannot allow political operatives to siphon public money into private pockets under the guise of “border security.” https://resist.bot/petitions/PWZEJJ