DHS Reportedly Fired a Pilot for Forgetting Kristi Noem’s Blanket on a Plane

A lone blanket belonging to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reportedly led to a poor U.S. Coast Guard pilot being fired, then soon rehired, after it was forgotten on a plane.

In a wide-ranging story by The Wall Street Journal — which explores the “constant chaos inside DHS” amid a federal immigration crackdown and Noem’s alleged rivalry with Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, among other things — her relationship with close adviser Corey Lewandowski came under scrutiny and their alleged penchant for firing DHS employees or putting them on administrative leave. According to WSJ, the pair have “fired or demoted roughly 80% of the career ICE field leadership that was in place when they started.”

During the blanket debacle, a maintenance issue reportedly forced her to switch planes, but, alas, Noem’s blanket didn’t make the trip and was left behind. The Coast Guard pilot was allegedly fired by Lewandowski after the unforgivable faux pas and told to hitch a commercial flight home, but was quickly reinstated when it dawned on those in power that no one else could fly them back.

A rep for DHS did not immediately reply to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment. WSJ said that while a spokeswoman did not address the alleged incident, the rep said that Noem has “made personnel decisions to deliver excellence.” 
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Elsewhere in the report, the publication claimed that Noem and Lewandowski have launched a “rehabilitation tour” following public backlash over the secretary’s handing of the immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis and the fatal shooting by federal agents of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse in the intensive care unit of a local V.A. hospital, and Renee Good, a 37-year-old poet and mother of three on her way home from school drop-off. Following the tragedies, Noem falsely claimed that Pretti “committed an act of domestic terrorism” before he killed.

Trump eventually sent Homan to take charge in Minnesota, who announced on Thursday that the Trump administration would end the immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. Amid her alleged battle for clout, Noem reportedly scolded staff if she saw Homan on TV and kept track of both their appearances to make sure she got more screen time.

The WSJ report also mentions that Noem and Lewandowski’s close relationship has made the president and his top advisers “uncomfortable.” Both Lewandowski and Noem are married and publicly denied the reports of an affair.