Kristi Noem's 'evil' plot to oust Trump's veteran border boss sparks Cabinet war
By Katelyn Caralle
Daily Mail
Jan 22, 2026
The man leading Customs and Border Protection faced an aggressive plot by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem trying to force him out of the role, a new report claims.
Noem and her close ally Corey Lewandowski, a special government employee at DHS, waged a war against CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott over disagreements over how to reach President Donald Trump's lofty deportation goals.
Eight sources told the Washington Examiner that Noem and Lewandowski tried to usher Scott towards exiting the agency – and two people described their tactics as 'evil.'
The campaign, they say, was meant to make Scott feel so uncomfortable at work that he would want to resign. But the results, sources claim, ended up negatively impacting families of some senior CBP staff.
Noem and Lewandowski chose to go after Scott's inner circle as a way to interfere with his work and ultimately drive him out, the sources told the Examiner.
'The most evil was when they attacked other people in retaliation to get to [Scott],' the first person said. 'Corey Lewandowski said that he wanted to make it as tough on these people as possible, their families, their children, everybody.'
This rift is just one in a long list of reported turf wars between leaders at the department heading Trump's ambitious immigration goals, which fell short of his desired 1 million deportations in the first year back in office.
Multiple reports emerged last year detailing Noem's outright mutual disdain for Trump's so-called border czar Tom Homan who, like Scott, is a decades-long veteran immigration official. DHS and the White House pushed back on claims of infighting at the time.
Government sources have told the Daily Mail that much of the internecine warfare comes from officials wanting to float to Trump any policy agenda wins as their own doing.
While Noem leads DHS, she does not have the authority to fire Scott. That's something only the president can do.
A new report cites eight sources claiming that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and her ally Corey Lewandowski deployed tactics trying to force CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott (pictured) to resign
One source described Noem (left) and Lewandowski's (right) tactics to push out Scott as 'evil'. Another said that the feud stems from Scott thinking Lewandowski's leadership is irrelevant because his special government employee status has expired but he's remained in the role
The White House did not say whether Trump maintains confidence in Scott, but wrote in a statement to the Daily Mail that '[t]he President's entire immigration and homeland security team – including Secretary Noem and CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott – are on the same page and have worked seamlessly together to deliver on the President's agenda.'
Sources tell the Examiner that Noem and Lewandowski see Scott as a threat to their success at the Department of Homeland Security. Especially since the three-decade veteran federal agent has apparently voiced concerns about the way the duo approach immigrant law enforcement.
'[Scott] asks questions or challenges them when they make decisions that they may not have knowledge of, or should I say, have no experience with,' one source described.
Another said: 'This is supposed to be the time that we're supposed to be elbows to elbows and rising to the top with all the support that we have from the president, but now we have to deal with this BS instead of trying to really fix the immigration system.'
A DHS spokesperson echoed the White House and said everyone within DHS is on 'the President's page' when it comes to the immigration agenda.
'Stephen Miller, Tom Homan, Todd Lyons, Corey Lewandowski, Rodney Scott, Gregory Bovino, and Mike Banks are patriots who wake up every day to make this country and its people safer,' the spokesperson added in a statement on the report.
Scott, when reached for comment, was even less straightforward in downplaying the report. Instead, he boasted to the Daily Mail about the work DHS has done to make 'the most secure border in American history.'
'We are operating with the President's vision and innovative and efficient execution – not the old ways. We are all working to implement the President's agenda,' he said.
It seems the issues between Scott and DHS leadership stems from the CBP Commissioner taking issue with Lewandowski working beyond his 130-day cap as a special government employee (SGE). Sources claim that this made Scott feel that any instructions he gave to Lewandowski were irrelevant.
DHS insiders confirm to the Daily Mail that Lewandowski remains highly involved in daily operations, even though since he began his tenure in February 2025, his SGE status should have expired months ago.
On October 1, 2025, lead DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told the Daily Mail that Lewandowski had '60 something' days left in his contract, which at the very least means his SGE was over at the end of November.
Lewandowski, however, has remained in his role for a year now.
Another said that Scott didn't like Noem's vision for having Border Patrol help in ICE operations since the two agencies within DHS have different missions
The Examiner report notes that sources say Scott pushed back on Noem and Lewandowski's vision for how the Border Patrol could help Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Scott was worried about optics since CBP and ICE have different missions and he felt it could have negative impacts on his Border Patrol agents if they assisted in ICE operations.
'Noem and Lewandowski see people like Rodney Scott, Tom Homan, and Todd Lyons as threats because they carry institutional credibility that doesn't depend on proximity to power or press,' one source claimed.
A month into 2026 and DHS already lost its Deputy Director of ICE Madison Sheahan, who the Daily Mail first reported is leaving to launch a bid for Congress in her home state of Ohio.
Despite the 28-year-old's glowing farewell email – obtained by the Daily Mail – the departure comes during a turbulent time for the agency.
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