Ranking Member Robert Garcia Demands Public Release of Corey Lewandowski’s Financial Disclosures After Violating Special Government Employee Disclosure Laws
Washington, D.C. — Today, Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent letters to Office of Government Ethics Acting Director Eric Ueland and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanding the public release of Special Government Employee (SGE) Corey Lewandowski’s financial disclosures, which they have illegally failed to produce. Lewandowski meets the qualifications to be a public filer, meaning that legally, his financial disclosures must be made public. A public financial disclosure is critical for understanding what business deals or conflicts of interest Lewandowski may have while working at the Department of Homeland Security. Reports also indicate Lewandowski appears to have exceeded his limit as a Special Government Employee. This letter is an escalation of the Oversight Committee’s investigation into Corey Lewandowski, which was launched in August.
“It appears Corey Lewandowski has not only exceeded his time as a Special Government Employee at the Department of Homeland Security, but has broken the law by failing to release his financial disclosures, which would shed light on any business dealings and conflicts of interest,” said Ranking Member Robert Garcia. “We are demanding the release of his financial disclosures in compliance with the law, and we won’t stop fighting until we get to the bottom of what Corey Lewandowski is doing at the Department of Homeland Security and beyond.”
“Recent reports raise serious concerns about Mr. Corey Lewandowski’s role at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a Special Government Employee (SGE). According to a court filing by DHS, Mr. Lewandowski appears to be serving in a high-level role as “Chief Advisor” to Secretary Noem and is alleged to have veto power over DHS grants and contracts of $100,000 or more, indicating that he likely qualifies as a “public filer” within the meaning of 5 C.F.R. § 2634.202 and must therefore have filed a financial disclosure report made available to the public. The lack of this public financial disclosure undermines transparency and erodes public trust in government,” wrote Ranking Member Garcia in the letter.
In August, Ranking Member Garcia launched an investigation into Corey Lewandowski, demanding Secretary Kristi Noem provide answers on Corey Lewandowski’s employment at DHS as a Special Government Employee (SGE). The letter demands a complete accounting of his service days (including records and logs), assessment on whether he has exceeded his 130 day limit as an SGE, all documents and communications regarding his role in personnel decisions (firing/hiring) and grant approvals in FEMA operations, and all documents and direct communications between Lewandowski and any lobbying firm, lobbyist, or government contracting consultant.
Click here and here to read the letters to Office of Government Ethics Acting Director Eric Ueland and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
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