Fired 'ICE Barbie' Kristi Noem's Top Aide Accused of 'Deleting Nearly 30 Secret Signal Chats' on the Day He Left Trump's Administration
An aide close to Kristi Noem is under fire.
July 8 2026, Published 3:21 p.m. ET
Nearly 30 Signal messages were allegedly wiped by former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem's top aide Joseph Guy when he stepped away from President Donald Trump's administration.
Guy worked with Noem, known for her intense focus on ICE operations, at the department until she was ousted by Trump and pushed into a new role as Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas within the State Department in March. While he followed Noem to her new role, Guy didn't stay with the administration long, quitting at the end of April, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Joseph Guy Allegedly Deletes Signal Messages
Joseph Guy testified regarding the messages.
According to court records viewed by PunchUp, Guy allegedly wiped messages on the same day he officially left. He reportedly fessed up to the deleted messages, but claimed it was an accident. According to Guy, when reinstalling the app, the messages and their backups were accidentally deleted.
Judge Susan Illston, however, was "seriously troubled by these allegations of spoliation," especially after he attempted to avoid coming under interrogation altogether.
Guy attempted to squash the subpoena, claiming via attorneys from Binnall Law Group it was a violation of his Fourth Amendment rights. The judge called his attempt "frivolous" and added leaving government positions “should not shield him from discovery.”
Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski Allegedly in the Group Chats
Noem was allegedly a part of the conversations.
Sources indicated these messages were from group chats with 20 participants, allegedly including Noem and her rumored lover Corey Lewandowski.
The messages were FEMA-related, and the judge ruled that FEMA and the DHS have until Monday to turn over their staffing plans.
Deleted Message Follows Contract Scandal
Corey Lewandowski was accused of facilitating a government contract scandal.
This comes just one week after an explosive scandal involving government contracts dropped. According to NBC, Lewandowski allegedly solicited payments from government contractors in exchange for favorable treatment. The report specifically cited alleged conversations between Lewandowski and The GEO Group founder George Zoley.
A senior DHS official and three people familiar with their discussion told the outlet Lewandowski "wanted to be paid in exchange for protecting and growing GEO Group’s DHS contracts."
“He wanted payments – what some people would call a success fee,” said one insider.
The company, ultimately, received a new contract for $121 million for services that help locate immigrants in December 2025. In total, the company federal contracts pertaining to Trump's directives on deportation totaled over $1 billion per year.
A representative for Lewandowski said, "This is absolutely false and did not happen – Mr. Lewandowski never demanded any payment or compensation from the Geo Group, at any time."
Noem Rumored to Have Romantic Relationship With Lewandowski
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Noem and Lewandowski were once rumored to be involved in an affair.
Lewandowski notably was once rumored to be romantically involved with Noem.
He took an unpaid position within DHS as a "special government employee." A source indicated he became a “de facto chief of staff” to Noem at the time.
Later, Noem was asked while testifying before Congress about Lewandowski's unpaid position. In fact, she was asked specifically about his role with government contracts. Insiders told NBC that Trump allegedly called the pair after the line of questioning, and in late March, Trump fired Noem from her position at DHS.
When Noem was shafted from her own role in the department in March, Lewandowski reportedly similarly stepped away.
