On April 24, 2026, the Wall Street Journal reported that Kristi Noem — fired as Secretary of Homeland Security on March 5, 2026 — has been seen coming and going from the U.S. Coast Guard commandant's waterfront residence on Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling more than six weeks after her termination. Her black Suburban SUV has been parked at the house in recent days, and Coast Guard officials have confirmed sightings of her on the base.
Noem moved into the house in August 2025, citing threats after protesters discovered her private addresses during the administration's immigration crackdown. In March 2026 testimony to the House Judiciary Committee, she said under oath: “I rent where I stay and pay personal dollars to do that.” The Washington Post had previously reported she was living rent-free. The WSJ's new reporting confirms she is still living in the government residence despite no longer being in government.
Corey Lewandowski, Noem's top aide while she was at DHS, has also been seen at the home as recently as this month, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to the Journal. Noem and Lewandowski have been publicly accused of an extramarital affair; both have denied the relationship, and Noem has called the allegation “tabloid garbage.” Lewandowski told the Journal through a lawyer that “scores of people have visited Ms. Noem at the house in a business capacity.”
The current Coast Guard commandant, Adm. Kevin Lunday, lives in the house next door and has told associates he intends to move into Noem's current residence “imminently.” Noem has not publicly explained why, after being fired, she remained in the Coast Guard commandant's official home.
Separately, since her ouster, Noem was appointed to a little-known initiative titled “special envoy for the Shield of the Americas-Western Hemisphere.” Her husband, Bryon Noem, has been at the center of a separate scandal involving compromising photos sent to women online in connection with a “bimbofication” fetish. A separate report alleged the couple carried millions of dollars in debt before rising to national prominence.
The core controversy is twofold: (1) a fired cabinet secretary continues to occupy government property designated for a military flag officer, and (2) her sworn testimony to Congress about paying rent personally appears to be contradicted by the Washington Post's reporting that she lived rent-free. False statements to Congress under oath carry criminal penalties under 18 U.S.C. § 1001.
Update (October 17, 2026): the envoy role has ended. “Kristi Noem's envoy status expired last month and she is no longer in the role,” a State Department official told CBS News on October 15, adding, “She is now a senior advisor to Deputy Secretary Landau and continues to work on the Shield of the Americas portfolio.” Noem said the post “was always a six-month appointment.”