Investigators searched the office of a Federal Emergency Management Agency contractor as they investigate a network of aides former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and adviser Corey Lewandowski seeded throughout the DHS during their turbulent tenure, according to people familiar with the matter.
Officials with the DHS’s inspector general, the agency’s internal watchdog, recently seized records and a computer from the office of Kara Voorhies, the people said. Investigators are examining her role in the FEMA contracting process, some of the people said.
It isn’t clear exactly what Voorhies was hired to do, but contractors like her aren’t typically involved in awarding contracts and making spending decisions on behalf of federal agencies, department officials say. Her role in those decisions raised alarm bells for the inspector general as well as for lawmakers.
The investigation is in its early stages, and it is unclear if the inspector general will refer the matter for criminal prosecution. The office doesn’t have the authority to bring criminal charges.
The wide-ranging probe into the network of aides will examine any potential improprieties in the contracting process, including any evidence of personal enrichment of top officials, people familiar with the investigation said.
Another prong of the probe into Voorhies: her compensation. FEMA officials have been unable to locate her contract and investigators are still seeking it, according to people familiar with the matter. Senior FEMA officials were told that Voorhies was getting paid as much as $19,000 a week, some of the people said, which would amount to roughly $1 million a year.
It is unclear when Voorhies, who officials say was brought into the department by Lewandowski, started at FEMA. She was at the department for most of Noem’s tenure and left this month.
