At least three of Kristi Noem’s loyal staffers were axed after following their scandal-ridden boss to her new State Department gig when she was booted from the Department of Homeland Security, sources said.
Three former DHS aides — Troup Hemenway, Josh King and Octavian Miller — were swiftly placed on paid leave after Noem was sacked as DHS secretary and appointed to the newly created role of special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, a government insider told The Post.
The trio was allegedly ousted over their ties to top DHS aide Corey Lewandowski, with whom Noem is rumored to be having an affair, and the fallout surrounding their former boss’s firing.
At least three of Kristi Noem’s loyal staffers were axed after following their scandal-ridden boss to her new State Department gig. Getty Images
Kristi Noem and Troup Hemenway (right) at a meeting on Dec. 12, 2025. Tia Dufour / DHS“They didn’t want any people that would be tentacles for Lewandowski,” the source said.
Lewandowski was an unpaid special government employee at DHS, but would introduce himself as Noem’s chief of staff and reportedly wielded major power within the agency.
The source said officials at Foggy Bottom weren’t keen to revisit the drama that plagued the married former South Dakota governor’s tenure at DHS, including her alleged years-long dalliance with Lewandowski and her controversial $220 million TV ads.
The trio was allegedly ousted over their ties to top DHS aide Corey Lewandowski, with whom Noem is rumored to be having an affair. Getty ImagesWhile 10 staffers followed her to the State Department, the three jettisoned aides were allegedly told, “We’re going to help you for a little bit, but you’re obviously not welcome.”
The remaining seven workers — lower-level aides — were allowed to keep their jobs, as they were not held responsible for the turmoil that unfolded under Noem’s leadership, the source said.
Another source disputed Hemenway’s closeness to Lewandowski.
Officials weren’t keen to revisit the drama that plagued Noem’s tenure, including her $220 million TV ads. DHS photo by Tia DufourThe State Department did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Noem’s days in her new position — at the program meant to fight drug trafficking, organized crime and illegal immigration in the Western Hemisphere — might be numbered, senior State Department officials told the Daily Mail.
Noem’s days in her new position reportedly might be numbered. via REUTERS“This post was intended as a soft landing so it didn’t look like Noem was immediately being fired,” sources told the outlet.
“But no one really thinks she should have this job. The State Department was not happy to have her here and the understanding is that she’s not going to be here for much longer.”
Noem reportedly has been absent from the office.
Noem took another hit when her insurance mogul husband was revealed to be living a cross-dressing double life in the “bimbofication” fetish scene.
Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski at the Union Club of Cleveland on September 8, 2020. David Sands/FacebookHer political career and reputation took another hit when her insurance mogul husband was revealed to be living a cross-dressing double life in the “bimbofication” fetish scene.
The Daily Mail, which first reported the fiasco two weeks ago, published a series of saucy messages, including multiple selfies showing Byron Noem wearing gigantic balloon breasts, some with his face visible.
The ex-DHS chief previously said via a spokesperson that she was “devastated” to learn of her husband’s involvement with the “bimbofication” fetish community, and that the family was “blindsided” by the embarrassing revelation.
