The Kristi Noem blanket story was never about the blanket, and three DHS insiders just revealed what Lewandowski was really trying to cover up

The real story behind the “blanket incident” involving Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski is more complicated than it first appeared. According to three insiders from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the incident was never actually about a blanket. It was about a bag that Noem left behind on a plane last spring.

The widely reported version of events was that Secretary of Homeland Security Noem, 54, was upset that her weighted blanket was not moved when she switched aircraft. But an insider confirmed, “This was never about a blanket. According to the Daily Mail, the blanket was a cover story for what really happened. The whole thing was really about the bag that was left.”

The story became public in early February when reports said Lewandowski had fired a pilot for not moving the blanket. The pilot, Coast Guard commanding officer Keith Thomas, was relieved of duty and told to fly home commercially, but was rehired almost immediately because there was no one else available to fly the group back.

The mysterious bag points to a possible cover-up that goes well beyond a simple in-flight dispute

The real trigger happened after Noem and Lewandowski switched from their private Gulfstream jet to a different plane for the return flight to Washington. Lewandowski, 52, reportedly had a “meltdown” shortly after takeoff when he found that the bag had not made it onto the second aircraft. He fired Thomas, 46, but quickly reversed that decision when he realized they would be stranded without a pilot.

No one has confirmed what was inside the bag, but sources say Lewandowski discovered that at least two people knew about its contents and feared the information could be embarrassing. Weeks after being fired, Thomas was promoted to a DHS senior advisor role in a newly created air division. This isn’t the only time the pair have faced scrutiny over a quietly cooked-up plan that drew White House attention.

Military aide Kamryn Jones, 38, who was also on the flight, was awarded a Legion of Merit medal by Noem in September, one of the military’s most prestigious decorations. When asked about the incident, Thomas declined to comment, saying, “As a military officer, I do not comment on past or current missions.” Jones referred questions to the Coast Guard, which directed them to Noem’s DHS.

Earlier reports mentioned only the blanket, with no reference to a bag. One report said the situation “escalated” after the blanket wasn’t provided, and another mentioned Lewandowski confronting the pilot in the cockpit. Neither mentioned the bag. Noem has also faced separate credibility issues, including a cannibal story fact-checked by her own department.

A month before the plane episode, Noem’s purse was stolen from a Washington, DC restaurant. That bag contained $3,000 in cash, her passport, medications, and her DHS access pass. Adding to the story is scrutiny over Noem’s relationship with Lewandowski. 

Both are married to other people and have denied having an affair. A DHS memo from March warned leadership about granting Lewandowski a top-secret security clearance, noting he had disclosed seeking treatment for alcohol and substance abuse disorder in 2022. The two later moved into the Coast Guard Commandant’s quarters last summer.