Democrats demand subpoena for Lewandowski over controversial $220M DHS ad campaign

By Fox News · Fox News

Congressional Democrats are pressing the Republican-controlled House to subpoena Corey Lewandowski — former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s top advisor — over his alleged role in a controversial border security ad campaign that prompted bipartisan criticism. House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Co., sent a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, on Wednesday demanding the committee launch an investigation and require Lewandowski to sit for a deposition. The lawmakers argue the matter is an urgent taxpayer oversight issue and want Jordan to compel witness testimony and documents related to Lewandowski’s influence over the ad campaign. "We urge you to use the Committee’s subpoena power to compel production of documents and communications regarding Mr. Lewandowski’s role in awarding these contracts and require Mr. Lewandowski to appear before the Committee for a deposition," the Democratic lawmakers wrote. "Mr. Lewandowski was at the center of the Department’s advertising spending and is the person best positioned to explain how a quarter of a billion dollars in taxpayer money was spent." DHS DEFENDS MCLAUGHLIN AFTER ALLEGATIONS HUSBAND'S COMPANY PROFITED MILLIONS FROM AD CONTRACTS: 'BASELESS' The DHS ad campaign that prominently featured Noem — including a scene of the former secretary on horseback at Mount Rushmore — upset some GOP lawmakers, who voiced concerns about whether there was a competitive bidding process and whether the infomercials were a smart use of taxpayer dollars. Lawmakers in both chambers grilled Noem on the topic during back-to-back hearings earlier in March, during which she testified under oath that the ad campaign had been approved through the standard competitive bid process and disputed that its purpose was to boost her public profile. Noem also told members of Congress that Lewandowski had "no" role in signing off on DHS contracts, but Raskin an…