President Donald Trump declared that employees of his administration needed to be honest on the same day it was disclosed that the Department of Justice opened an inquiry into Corey Lewandowski, a former adviser at the Department of Homeland Security.
The investigation reportedly originated from a referral from the DHS inspector general. It marks one of the rare instances of a Trump ally being investigated.
“All I know is I want my people to be honest, and if they’re not going to be honest, they have to be prosecuted,” Trump told reporters Thursday afternoon while speaking from the South Lawn.
“I don’t know about specifically, but because I view it, people are not honest. There’s stealing from me as president.”
Lewandowski’s close relationship with former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem sparked controversy as Noem was still married to her now-estranged husband. The two were pushed out of the department in March.
The DOJ is looking into whether Lewandowski, a Trump campaign manager in 2016, benefited from his role at DHS for personal financial gain, although his lawyer denied any wrongdoing. Lewandowski had extraordinary power as an adviser at DHS, including hosting meetings in Noem’s office without her presence.
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The president claimed he didn’t know about the specifics of the investigation, but again stood firm on the importance of honesty in his administration in the wake of several allegations of corruption. Former Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle resigned in the wake of allegations that she pressured a Trump donor to pay off her $100,000 American Express credit card debt.
“So I want my people to be honest,” Trump added. “And if they’re not honest, I’ll have my DOJ go and do whatever they have to do.”