Democracy Defenders Fund filed a FOIA request seeking information on contracts awarded to firms linked to top DHS officials

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's recent termination should not negate oversight into how the department may have squandered up to $220 million in taxpayer dollars on sole-source advertising contracts riddled with potential conflicts of interest, self-dealing, and possible violations of federal ethics and procurement laws, Democracy Defenders Fund (DDF) said today.

DDF filed a Freedom of Information Act request to ensure this potential corruption is not swept under the rug. The FOIA demands the immediate release of all contracts, invoices, ethics waivers, and internal communications related to the 2025 contracts, including a widely criticized advertisement featuring then-Secretary Noem riding a horse at Mount Rushmore.

"The public has a right to know whether senior government officials improperly steered hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to friends, family, and political allies through sole source contracts," said Virginia Canter, director and chief counsel for ethics and anti-corruption at DDF. The possible misuse of taxpayer dollars to produce a Noem vanity video is a question that will not go away because she  has been fired. This is just the beginning of our inquiry."

A key DHS subcontractor, the Strategy Group, is run by Benjamin Yoho, the husband of former DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin, who oversaw the department's public messaging while her husband's firm benefited from DHS spending.

The prime contractor, Safe America Media LLC, was incorporated just days before the DHS deal was finalized and shares an address with the Virginia home of a veteran Republican operative. None of the contracts were competitively bid.

Among the limited documents already made public by the Strategy Group was a $60,000 "signing bonus" paid under the subcontract. DDF notes that the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) permits such bonuses only under narrow circumstances, which appear impossible to have been met given that Safe America Media existed for only days before winning the prime contract.

"Taxpayers deserve to know whether their money is being used in the public’s interest or being funneled to insiders," said Chris Swartz, senior counsel for ethics and anti-corruption at Democracy Defenders Fund. "Taxpayer funds are not a piggybank for political appointees and their cronies."

Read the full FOIA here.

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Democracy Defenders Fund brings together a nonpartisan team to work with national, state and local allies across the country to defend in real-time the foundations of our democracy.