Senator Maggie Hassan has told former Department of Homeland Security adviser Corey Lewandowski to preserve every record from his time at the department, as federal prosecutors examine DHS contracting in the first year of President Donald Trump's second term. The Lewandowski DHS records demand, sent Tuesday, November 10, 2026, is the incoming Senate Homeland Security chair's sharpest warning yet that the new Democratic majority will use its full powers to investigate the department.

Hassan, a New Hampshire Democrat who takes the committee's gavel in January, wrote that she will use its full authorities "including where necessary compulsory process" to expose corruption and waste. She warned that if records prove unavailable, "the Committee will want to understand how, and when, that came to be."

Key Points

• Incoming Senate Homeland Security chair Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) told former DHS adviser Corey Lewandowski on November 10 to preserve all records from his time at the department.
• Hassan said she will use the committee's full authorities, "including where necessary compulsory process", to expose corruption and waste.
• Prosecutors are investigating DHS contracting in the first year of Trump's second term and are scrutinising Lewandowski, two sources told ABC News.
• The inquiry followed a referral from DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari; his lawyer says he denies wrongdoing and the Justice Department has not contacted him.
• Lewandowski left DHS earlier in 2026 after serving as de facto chief of staff to former Secretary Kristi Noem, sources said.

What Happened

The letter is Hassan's second preservation demand to Lewandowski. In June 2026, when Democrats were still in the minority, she sent a similar letter, and his lawyers replied that there was "no legal obligation" to comply. Now, with Democrats having won the November 3 midterms and Hassan set to chair the committee, her November 10 letter makes clear the committee will not accept that answer again.

Hassan cited Lewandowski's own words. On talk radio this week, he said he was "happy to have any conversations with anybody" because he has "nothing to hide". She wrote that she looks forward to those conversations "on the record, under oath" — a signal he will be called to testify under oath in January. The letter lands as the Justice Department's inquiry gathers pace: prosecutors are examining DHS contracting in the first year of Trump's second term, two sources told ABC News, and Lewandowski is among those under scrutiny.

Background: A New Majority, a New Oversight Agenda

Democrats won control of Congress in the November 3, 2026 midterms, flipping the Senate majority and handing Hassan the chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, one of the Senate's most powerful oversight panels. The committee oversees the Department of Homeland Security, the federal government's third-largest department, covering immigration enforcement, border security, cybersecurity and disaster response.

Lewandowski was a central figure in the department's first year under Trump. Though his formal title was adviser, sources described him as de facto chief of staff to Secretary Kristi Noem. He left earlier in 2026, and the contracting practices now under review date from that first year. The letter fits a wider pattern: since the midterms, Democrats have signalled sweeping oversight of the department from January. US News Pulse reported on House Democrats' plan to investigate the Trump administration's spy agencies and on the 185,000 administrative subpoenas DHS has sent since Trump took office.

Lewandowski DHS Records: What Investigators Want to Know

At the heart of the dispute are the records themselves: emails, messages, memos, calendars and contracting documents from Lewandowski's time at DHS. Preservation letters are a standard first step in congressional oversight, meant to stop documents being lost or destroyed before investigators can review them. Hassan's warning — that the committee will want to know "how, and when" any records came to be unavailable — is the language of a chair preparing for a fight over missing evidence.

What prosecutors are examining is the department's contracting: how deals were awarded, who approved them and whether the rules were followed in the first year of the second Trump administration. The referral from Inspector General Cuffari suggests concerns raised inside the department's own watchdog office. Neither has said publicly which contracts are involved. For now, two claims compete: prosecutors are scrutinising Lewandowski's tenure, and his lawyer says he denies wrongdoing and has not been contacted by the Justice Department. Those records are the evidence that would settle it.

Reactions and Quotes

Hassan's letter was the sharpest statement. She intends to use the committee's full authorities "including where necessary compulsory process" — the power to issue subpoenas — to expose corruption and waste. In January, that argument disappears: Hassan will hold the gavel, and the committee's demands will carry the force of the majority.

Lewandowski has not responded publicly to the new letter. His most recent public comments came on talk radio this week, where he said he was "happy to have any conversations with anybody" because he has "nothing to hide". His lawyer has said he denies any wrongdoing and that the Justice Department has not contacted him.

Why It Matters

The letter is an early test of how the new Democratic Congress will use its oversight powers. The Homeland Security Committee can compel testimony and documents, and Hassan is signalling she will use those powers on DHS, the department at the centre of the administration's immigration crackdown. Missing documents have decided past oversight fights. Hassan is warning Lewandowski now so the evidence is still there in January.

With the Justice Department already examining DHS contracting, Congress and prosecutors may now be looking at the same records from different directions — one to expose waste and corruption, the other to decide whether any laws were broken.

What Happens Next

Hassan takes the committee chair in January. The committee is then expected to press for Lewandowski's records and, by her own words, to hear from him "on the record, under oath". If he declines, the compulsory process she cited — subpoenas — is the next step. The Justice Department investigation continues separately: what the inspector general's referral contains will shape how far it goes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Corey Lewandowski?

A former DHS adviser who served as de facto chief of staff to former Secretary Kristi Noem, sources said, before leaving earlier in 2026.

What did Senator Hassan ask him to do?

In a November 10 letter, Hassan told Lewandowski to preserve all records from his time at DHS, warning the committee "will want to understand how, and when" any records came to be unavailable.

Is Lewandowski under criminal investigation?

Prosecutors are investigating DHS contracting in the first year of Trump's second term and are scrutinising Lewandowski, two sources told ABC News. No charges have been announced.

Why does the letter matter now?

Democrats won the November 3 midterms, and Hassan chairs the committee from January, giving her subpoena power. A June letter was met with a claim of "no legal obligation".

What happens next?

Hassan is expected to seek Lewandowski's testimony "on the record, under oath" in January, and the committee can issue subpoenas if he does not cooperate.