Another bizarre claim made in the report is that Noem’s top adviser “made it known to top ICE officials that he wanted to be issued a law enforcement badge and a federally-issued gun,” despite his not having undertaken the necessary training to merit them.
When the administration was preparing to bring in Tom Feeley, a former top ICE official in New York, as its new director, he was asked by Lewandowski if he would be willing to issue him with the props, the newspaper writes. Feeley said no and was subsequently overlooked for the role.
ICE lawyer Ken Padilla, in turn, reportedly refused the same request and was placed on administrative leave before being demoted to a role with FEMA.
Lewandowski ultimately got his gun, the WSJ reports, but only after it was allegedly signed off by an ICE director’s autopen – an ironic detail given Trump’s mockery and conspiracy theorizing over his predecessor Joe Biden’s use of such a device.
What a tiny little man