Why Kristi Noem’s husband is staying with her despite alleged affair with Corey Lewandowski
Also: My Take
Kristi Noem’s long-suffering husband is sticking by her side despite rumors of an affair with her advisor out of commitment to his Christian faith, according to a new report.
Bryon Noem is reportedly being urged by family members to finally walk away from his wife of 24 years amid the furor around her alleged relationship with Corey Lewandowski.
The ousted Homeland Security secretary has denied having an affair with her top aide and Trump ally Lewandowski since the Daily Mail first exclusively revealed their alleged tryst in 2023.
A family member told the New York Post that Bryon is remaining loyal out of commitment to his vows.
‘He said he decided about 20 years ago that it was his calling from God to support her in whatever she decided to do,’ they said.
‘So he has put up with the humiliation. We will see if he sticks with her now.’
The family member said Bryon’s resolve to stay married ‘is him honoring the calling from God.’
They added: ‘But it seems like there would be some limit to that.’
Noem married her husband in 1992 after they met as high school students. They share three children together.
Lewandowski has been married to his wife Alison for more than a decade.
Noem entered politics in 2006, first becoming a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives before working her way into the governorship and later the Trump administration.
But according to relatives, the Noems’ marriage has had ups and downs for years, with some saying they long knew of the Lewandowski rumors.
One relative, who was not named, said Noem never warmed to her husband’s side, and said that she ‘despises the Noem family.’
The family member added that they hoped Noem’s public grilling in Congress over her tenure as Homeland Security Secretary would open her husband’s eyes to their situation.
‘I actually liked that he sat behind her while she was grilled on the ICE atrocities,’ they said. ‘I think he’s ignored the reality. Maybe he has to face it now.’
The grilling on Wednesday, the day before Noem was brutally fired by Trump, saw California Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove bring up the allegations of her affair with Lewandowski while Bryon was in the audience.
Kamlager-Dove accused Noem of having a relationship with a ‘subordinate’, which Noem has repeatedly denied in the past.
During the hearing she seemed to try and avoid answering her questions, a move which stunned her relatives.
‘What gets me is she couldn’t say no,’ the family member said. ‘When she’s getting grilled about it, she couldn’t say no.
‘She’s not the same girl — we used to be close friends.’
Noem was before Congress this week to defend her department’s immigration crackdown strategy.
It was the first time she appeared in front of congressional lawmakers since two protesters – Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both 37 – were killed by federal officers in Minneapolis.
Noem was also questioned for her department’s decision to use $220million of taxpayer money on a border security advertising campaign.
She said Trump signed off on the decision, only for the US President to later say he ‘never knew anything about it.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to Lewandowski, Noem and the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
