WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — Corey Lewandowski, a longtime adviser to President Donald Trump, allegedly sought private business from officials in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates while serving as a special government employee at the Department of Homeland Security, according to a Wall Street Journal investigation.
The Journal reported that Lewandowski approached senior Qatari officials and offered to work for them privately on matters involving DHS, including visa issues. He reportedly made a similar proposal to officials from the United Arab Emirates. Both approaches were rejected.
Lewandowski served as an unpaid special government employee under then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. According to the Journal, he attended department meetings and exercised significant influence over staffing, contracts and other decisions despite not holding a Senate-confirmed position.
Lewandowski has denied the allegations. In a statement Tuesday, he called the Journal report “fiction.” His representative also denied that he sought contracts with foreign governments or played a role in DHS contract reviews.
The Journal also reported on Lewandowski’s interactions with Palantir Technologies while the company was negotiating a major DHS contract.
Palantir had negotiated a proposed $2.7 billion blanket purchase agreement with DHS in 2025 covering work that included immigration and Secret Service operations. While the agreement was awaiting approval, Lewandowski repeatedly sought a one-on-one meeting with Palantir CEO Alex Karp, according to people familiar with the matter.
Palantir executives scheduled and later canceled the meeting because they were uncomfortable with the circumstances while the contract remained pending, the Journal reported. The proposed $2.7 billion agreement was not signed. DHS later approved a revised agreement worth about $1 billion in February 2026.
A Palantir spokesperson said the company was not given an explanation for the reduction and emphasized that it seeks to maintain high ethical standards in its government work. The reporting does not establish that Lewandowski’s request for a meeting caused the contract to be reduced.
The DHS Office of Inspector General is conducting a broader investigation into contracting practices and potential conflicts involving department officials during that period, according to the Journal. Investigators are reportedly considering whether any findings warrant referral to the Justice Department. No criminal charges against Lewandowski have been announced.
Special government employees are subject to federal conflict-of-interest rules. Federal law prohibits them from participating personally and substantially in government matters in which they have certain financial interests, while ethics regulations also restrict outside activities that conflict with official duties.
The inspector general’s investigation remains ongoing.
