Kristi Noem rumored lover's desperate plot to blame Trump's Ice Queen for assassination attempt backfires… and the humiliation is just beginning

By PHILLIP NIETO, US POLITICAL REPORTER and SHAWN COHEN, US SENIOR REPORTER Published: 15:23, 2 May 2026 | Updated: 15:25, 2 May 2026 Inside the Washington Hilton ballroom on Saturday night, journalists and dignitaries wearing tuxedos and dresses dove under their tables as the sound of four gunshots rang out. The President was yanked off the stage so hard he hit the ground.  As tumbled glasses of red wine bled across white tablecloths, some guests cowered in fear while others scrambled for information. But Corey Lewandowski, Kristi Noem's rumored lover who was nowhere near the event after being exiled from the administration, saw an opportunity, the Daily Mail has learned. The longtime Trump operative spent Sunday morning burning up the phones, pushing reporters and influencers to blame the White House Correspondents' Dinner security debacle squarely on Susie Wiles, three sources told the Daily Mail. His argument: She runs White House operations, so the failure is hers to own. 'The barrel of the shotgun hadn't cooled when Corey started texting reporters,' a Trump insider told the Daily Mail. Sources described this as Lewandowski's 'revenge tour,' which began shortly after he was tossed out of DHS. 'Corey's been on a vendetta trying to take down people who he feels were against him or who have s*** on him,' one administration official told the Daily Mail. 'He's got nothing else to do now. He's on this revenge tour trying to figure out how to get himself power again.' Corey Lewandowski spent Sunday morning burning up the phones, pushing reporters and influencers to blame the White House Correspondents' Dinner security debacle squarely on Susie Wiles, three sources told the Daily Mail White House Chief of Staff Wiles worked with Lewandowski in 2020 to help Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu stay in power Officials and attendees dove for cover after shots rang out at the 2026 White House Correspondents' Dinner A top DC insider familiar with Lewandowski's purported plot described it as 'a cheap last gasp of someone who has faded into obscurity and who should spend their time putting together a legal team rather than pushing manufactured horses***.' Lewandowski ran Trump's 2016 campaign before getting fired that June. He returned in 2024 only to be sidelined again after a power struggle with Wiles on Trump's campaign. He then rode back into Trump's orbit through Noem as an unofficial fixer at DHS, before he was ousted again this spring following the secretary's downfall. Publicly, Lewandowski has taken to social media to demand accountability from the White House for the shooting. 'When does someone get held accountable? Asking for a friend,' he wrote in an X post less than 24 hours after the gunfire. 'Fake news! As you know, I don't talk to reporters. Yourself included,' Lewandowski told the Daily Mail when reached for comment. 'Stop attempting to create chaos where it doesn't exist.' Wiles and Lewandowski have known each other for years, joining forces in 2020 to help Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu stay in power. They clashed during the 2024 presidential election, when Lewandowski tried and failed to push her out of Trump's campaign. His alleged campaign against Wiles comes as some of his old colleagues describe him as increasingly toxic. The Daily Mail previously reported that Lewandowski, along with Noem and other close associates, is at the center of a criminal investigation by the DHS inspector general over his approval of contracts. Sources say the effort to blame Wiles for the assassination attempt ignores a basic fact that it's the president who calls the shots when it comes to his protection. Noem and Lewandowski, both of whom are married, have been rumored lovers for years. They have denied the allegations  Sources have told the Daily Mail they believe he has a 'vendetta' against Wiles Trump credits the Secret Service with saving his life in the July 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, and afterward promoted the man who shielded him, Sean Curran, to lead the agency. 'If the President feels safe with them, and he's chosen this director, it's his choice,' one insider told the Daily Mail. 'There are legitimate concerns about the Secret Service, but I don't think that's why Corey's going after her,' another administration insider said. 'It's vendetta driven.' The Secret Service has been dogged by a string of high-profile failures in recent years, from the July 2024 assassination attempt on Trump to a second gunman found at his West Palm Beach golf course months later. Saturday night's breach at the Hilton, where a shooter got close enough to send Trump to the ground inside one of the most heavily credentialed events, has reignited those concerns from lawmakers and the President's allies. Lewandowski's latest plot fits a long pattern, sources say. He rarely commits anything to writing. And he has maintained connections with some of his old colleagues still working in the administration as well as reporters he believes he can steer, another administration official alleged to the Daily Mail. 'There are people who will always pick up his calls, and his loyal minions are still with him,' the source said. Sources say the effort to blame Wiles for the assassination attempt ignores a basic fact that it's the president who calls the shots when it comes to his protection Noem and Lewandowski have been pictured together on several occasions Sean Curran, the man who shielded Trump during the July 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, was then promoted to lead the Secret Service Of his post-event frenzy, the source said, 'He was texting excerpts about how the White House Correspondents' Dinner failures were because of decisions Susie made, and trying to pin it on her.' Lewandowski was also tipping people off about a meeting Wiles was holding with Curran and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Meanwhile, he claimed he had intel that Wiles was about to be axed, according to an administration official.  'Corey was telling people that Susie was going to be fired soon, which is, by the way, not going to happen and hilarious as if Corey would even know that,' the source told the Daily Mail. 'It's hard to take Corey seriously,' the source added. 'He's trying to stay relevant, he's trying to come back, but I just don't know how at this point he does. He's like a child throwing a temper tantrum.' The Daily Mail has contacted Wiles for comment. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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