A U.S. Coast Guard pilot was allegedly fired after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s blanket went missing, only to double back on the retaliation to fly back home.
After Ms. Noem had to switch planes when a maintenance issue was discovered, her blanket was not moved to the second plane, The Wall Street Journal first reported.
She then reportedly had her top adviser, Corey Lewandowski, fire the pilot, who was told to take a commercial flight home once they reached their destination.
But they reinstated the pilot because no one else was available to fly them home.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson did not offer an explanation for the incident but said the secretary has “made personnel decisions to deliver excellence.”
Ms. Noem and Mr. Lewandowski have cut many DHS employees or put them on administrative leave, allegedly firing or demoting roughly 80% of the career ICE field leadership that was in place when they stepped into their roles.
They frequently berate senior-level staff, according to The Journal, and give polygraph tests to employees they do not trust.
Some within the Trump administration even reportedly said Ms. Noem and Mr. Lewandowski have repeatedly overstepped their authority.
The purported blanket incident comes as they have been hit with intensified animosity from liberals and cheers from conservatives over aggressive U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactics.
After two Americans were killed by ICE agents during an immigration raid, some within the administration reportedly pushed President Trump to fire Ms. Noem.
Mr. Trump continues to back her, pointing to her actions in stopping illegal immigration. He said ealier this month, “They were saying, ’Are you going to relieve Kristi Noem of her duties?’ No, no. Why would I do that? We have the strongest border in the history of our country.”
• Mary McCue Bell can be reached at mbell@washingtontimes.com.
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