A Coast Guard pilot flying Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was fired after a blanket failed to make it onto a replacement aircraft, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal, an episode that has intensified scrutiny over Noem’s travel practices and the influence of senior adviser Corey Lewandowski.

Noem’s job has been on the line for months after her controversial performance with nationwide ICE raids, but President Donald Trump said this week that her position is safe.

The Journal reported that the incident occurred during a maintenance-related plane swap involving a Boeing 737 MAX used by the Department of Homeland Security.

When a blanket Noem had been using did not transfer to the second aircraft, Lewandowski ordered the pilot dismissed, according to people familiar with the matter cited by the paper. The pilot was later reinstated because no replacement was available to fly the aircraft.

A DHS spokeswoman did not directly address the blanket allegation but told the Journal that Noem has “made personnel decisions to deliver excellence.” The Coast Guard did not respond to requests for comment.

The aircraft at the center of the report has drawn attention for reasons other than the report. The Boeing 737 MAX was initially earmarked for high-profile deportation flights but has also been used for Cabinet-level travel.

The department plans to purchase the jet for roughly $70 million, about double the cost of seven other aircraft being acquired for deportation operations, the Journal reported.

A DHS spokesperson told the Journal the plane is used for both deportation missions and official travel and said it is more cost-effective than relying on military aircraft for such trips.

The blanket dispute also lands amid longstanding questions about Lewandowski’s role inside DHS. Lewandowski, who managed Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, serves as an unpaid “special government employee,” a designation that limits federal service to 130 days per year.

DHS has maintained that Lewandowski complies with the limit. However, four administration officials told Axios in 2024 that they believed he had exceeded it.

Questions about Lewandowski’s closeness to Noem have circulated for years. In 2021, New York Magazine published an exposé describing their alleged relationship as “widely understood.” In the same report, a Federal Emergency Management Agency official called it the “worst-kept secret in D.C.”

Both Noem and Lewandowski have denied any romantic involvement.

On its own, the alleged firing might read like a minor travel mishap. But layered onto debates over aircraft spending, personnel authority and transparency inside DHS, the report adds to concerns about how power is exercised within the department — and who ultimately answers for it.