The downfall of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem started almost immediately after she was confirmed to the position last year, when she approved a $220 million anti-immigration advertising campaign at taxpayer expense. She quickly awarded no-bid contracts worth millions of dollars t o her conservative cronies, according to a congressional investigation and Noem critics, including one company that was created just days before it received one of two contracts awarded for the commercial. Kristi Noem’s changing appearance has sparked rumors about cosmetic enhancements since joining the Trump team and administration. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) During congressional testimony earlier this month, Noem told lawmakers President Donald Trump had approved the costliest government ad campaign in the past decade, except for COVID-19 and military recruitment, which Trump quickly denied before publicly firing her on social media. The mega pricey ad at the center of all the mayhem stars Noem riding a horse dressed up like a cowgirl in full makeup in front of Mt. Rushmore, and what’s fueling even more criticism is the fact that she gave herself a $60,000 signing bonus to boot, lawmakers said on March 23, according to The Hill. Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Peter Welch of Vermont launched a corruption probe into the campaign, revealing, in addition to Noem’s signing bonus, that thousands of taxpayer dollars were spent on hair, makeup, and horse rentals to make the commercial that urged people in the country illegally to self-deport. Blumenthal and Welch, earlier this month three days after Noem’s March 3 congressional testimony, released new details on the three companies involved in the ad campaign, including People Who Think LLC and Safe America Media LLC, which was incorporated just a week before receiving $143 million no-bid contract from Noem’s DHS, and which in turn subcontracted The Strategy Group Company to make the ad. “Some of the firms involved have deep ties to Secretary Noem and her inner circle, the lawmakers wrote in a statement at the time, before detailing that People Who Think received a separate $77 million non-competitive contract for the same ad campaign. Corey Lewandowski looks to have been comfortably in the middle of the money flowing through Noem’s controversial $240 million ad campaign. https://t.co/yuKdLJUJXc pic.twitter.com/YgPjQhqbjV— Tim O'Brien (@TimOBrien) March 6, 2026 Two of the companies have extensive ties to Trump. Safe America Media’s GOP strategists Mike McElwain and Patrick McCarthy, who run the company, did media work for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, Politico reported. The guy who co-founded People Who Think, Jay Connaughton, worked with Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and other Republicans, according to Politico. The outlets also reported that Safe America Media received over $15 million and People Who Think $7.7 million in commissions, for a total of more than $23 million between the two. This means the two companies received millions of dollars for doing nothing. Meanwhile, The Strategy Group’s CEO Ben Yoho is married to Noem’s close friend and DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, who helped on Noem’s 2022 gubernatorial campaign, and has also worked with Noem’s former top staffer Corey Lewandowski. In a post on X earlier this month, the company said, “Safe America paid us $226,137.17 total for 5 film shoots, 45 produced video advertisements, and 6 produced radio advertisements,” which raises the question of where the remaining $219,773,862.83 is. The Strategy Group has never had a contract with DHS. We had a subcontract with Safe America for limited production services. Safe America paid us $226,137.17 total for 5 film shoots, 45 produced video advertisements and 6 produced radio advertisements.If you're going to try…— The Strategy Group Co. (@StrategyGroupCo) March 3, 2026 “This looks like waste, fraud, and abuse to me,” Welch said in a statement released Monday, March 23. “While leading the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem and her senior team allowed tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to be spent on wasteful production costs, a shady signing bonus, and a very expensive horse rental—and that’s just what we know so far,” he continued. Blumenthal also weighed in. “This absurd waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer funds is completely unacceptable. I will continue to demand the answers the American people deserve about how these funds were used and whether any federal officials profited from DHS contracts.” ‘Absurd Waste, Fraud’: Kristi Noem’s Wild DHS Ad Scheme Unraveled and Put Her on the Curb, But the Real Story Is the $23 Million Side Hustle Hiding Inside It ...read more read less