The story of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reportedly firing a U.S. Coast Guard pilot because he lost her blanket, only to have him reinstated a few hours later when it became apparent there was no one else around who could fly her plane, has just got even more wild.
First reported by the Wall Street Journal earlier this month, the now infamous blanket incident involved a Coast Guard pilot who was operating a private jet on behalf of Noem and the DHS.
The pilot had been told to find a commercial flight home, but when it dawned on Noem and the other occupants of the private jet that no other pilots were available, the crew member was reinstated.
A spokesperson for the DHS said of the incident that Noem had “made personnel decisions to deliver excellence.”
It now turns out that Noem’s top advisor, Corey Lewandowski, allegedly entered the cockpit of the plane without invitation while the aircraft was still in its ascent after takeoff and before it had reached the crucial 10,000-foot ceiling.
At this point, the seat belt signs were still reportedly switched on, which could mean that Lewandowski broke U.S. Coast Guard rules that ban anyone from engaging “in any conversation or activity that could distract or interfere with a flight crewmember properly conducting their assigned duties during critical phases of flight.”
The initial ascent, especially when an aircraft is below an altitude of 10,000 feet, is considered a critical phase of flight.
In response to this added detail about the incident, first reported by Reuters through multiple anonymous sources, Lewandowski told reporters that a conversation did not take place in the cockpit when the plane was taking off.
Lewandowski did not, however, respond to questions of whether he entered the cockpit when the aircraft was still below 10,000 feet or when the seat belt signs were still switched on.
The blanket apparently came to be misplaced when Noem and her entourage had to switch planes at the last minute because the first private jet they were assigned developed a technical fault that couldn’t be quickly fixed.
Everyone moved to another Gulfstream PJ but, along the way, the blanket was left behind.
After initially telling Lewandowski to leave the cockpit, the pilot left the flight deck later in the flight to discuss the lost blanket. Lewandowski asked those present who was to blame, and as the commander of the aircraft, the pilot said he would take responsibility.
Sources cited by Reuters claim Lewandowski fired the veteran pilot on the spot, but was reinstated when the U.S. Coast Guard told the DHS team that they couldn’t find a replacement crew member to fly them back to Washington DC.
Noem has spent $200 million of taxpayer money on a pair of “top-of-the-line” luxury Gulfstream G700 private jets. The DHS also wants to buy a Boeing 737 in a private jet configuration, which comes complete with a bedroom, shower, kitchen, large flat screen TVs, and a bar.
The DHS is already paying to lease the aircraft, but now wants $70 million to buy the jet outright. To justify the expense, the department said the luxe aircraft would also be used for deportation flights.
An official within the DHS who did not want to be named said the idea that this plane could be used for deportation flights was “far-fetched.”
