Welch, Blumenthal Demand Answers from Companies on Potential Corruption in $220 Million Taxpayer-Funded DHS Ad Campaign

Mar 6, 2026
The Strategy Group Company, Safe America Media LLC, and People Who Think LLC were awarded millions in no-bid, taxpayer-funded contracts by DHS or benefitted as subcontractors on those contracts
WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.),Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, andU.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.),Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, today demanded answers fromThe Strategy Group Company,Safe America Media LLC, andPeople Who Think LLCabout potential corruption and conflicts of interest stemming from their involvement in no-bid contracts awarded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The contracts, which totaled more than $220 million in taxpayer dollars, were awarded to produce an advertising campaign featuring recently-ousted Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Some of the firms involved have deep ties to Secretary Noem and her inner circle.
The letters to executives of all three companies come days after a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in which the Senators grilled Noem for bypassing a competitive bidding process to award contracts to firms with which she and her senior advisers have personal ties. The Senators also pressed and received a commitment from Noem that she would provide answers about whether Corey Lewandowski, President Trump’s former campaign ousted manager and adviser to Secretary Noem, profited from taxpayer-funded DHS contracts.
On February 13, 2025, Safe America Media signed a no-bid contract worth$143 millionto produce an advertising campaign for DHS. On the same day, People Who Think was awarded a separate$77 millionno-bid contract to work on the same advertising campaign.
Strategy Group hasconfirmedthat it received a subcontract to work on the no-bid ad campaign awarded to Safe America Media. According topublic reporting, Strategy Group—and its CEO Benjamin Yoho—have a long relationship with former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and her Chief Adviser Corey Lewandowski. The Secretaryconfirmedat a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 3, 2026, that the firm managed the ad campaigns for her 2022 gubernatorial campaign. Mr. Lewandowskireportedlybrought the company in to work on that campaign.
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In their letter to Michael McElwain regarding Safe America Media, the Senators wrote,“According to public records, Safe America Media is registered to your home address and was incorporated just seven days before it signed a non-competitive contract worth $143 million for the production of several advertisements starring former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. As far as we can tell, Safe America Media has no office, no website, and no social media presence.”
The Senators also highlighted the relationships between Safe America Media executives and outgoing DHS Secretary Noem:“In 2023, Mr. Yoho attended then-Governor Noem’s inauguration and sat next to Mr. Lewandowski. Between 2023 to 2024, Strategy Group was awarded an $8.5 million contract to produce a series of commercials starring then-Governor Noem pretending to perform various jobs. According to public reporting, Mr. Lewandowski also hired Mr. Yoho to provide services for the press campaign related to Secretary Noem’s memoir in 2024. Most recently, Strategy Group received a subcontract from Safe America Media to help produce DHS’s ad campaign while Mr. Yoho’s wife, Tricia McLaughlin, served as the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Public Affairs.”
Senators Welch and Blumenthal requested the following answers and documents from Safe America Media by March 13, 2026:
In addition, they requested detailed responses to the following questions:
Read and downloadthe Senator’s full letter to Safe America Media LLC.
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In the Senators’ letter to The Strategy Group Company’s CEO Benjamin Yoho—the husband of Secretary Noem’s Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Public Affairs—the Senators emphasized The Strategy Group’s and Mr. Yoho’s longtime relationship with Secretary Noem and her Chief Adviser Corey Lewandowski:“Secretary Noem confirmed at a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 3, 2026 that your firm managed the ad campaigns for her 2022 gubernatorial campaign. Mr. Lewandowski reportedly served as the intermediary that facilitated your company’s work on that campaign. In 2023, you attended then-Governor Noem’s inauguration and sat next to Mr. Lewandowski. Between 2023 to 2024, The Strategy Group was awarded an $8.5 million contract to produce a series of commercials starring then-Governor Noem pretending to perform various jobs.”
According to public reporting, Mr. Lewandowski also hired Mr. Yoho to provide services for the press campaign to promote Secretary Noem’s memoir in 2024. Most recently, The Strategy Group received a subcontract from Safe America Media to help produce a DHS ad campaign while Mr. Yoho’s wife,Tricia McLaughlin, served as the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Public Affairs. And this week, Secretary Noemtestifiedbefore the Senate Judiciary Committee that she knows both Mr. Yoho and The Strategy Group.
Senators Welch and Blumenthal continued:“Despite your wife’s recent social media statement that neither you nor The Strategy Group ‘have ever had a contract with DHS,’ The Strategy Group confirmed this week that it did receive a subcontract to work on the no-bid ad campaign awarded to Safe America Media, that it was paid ‘$226,137.17 total for 5 film shoots, 45 produced video advertisements and 6 produced radio advertisements.’ It is not clear why Safe America Media, a company that was incorporated seven days before it received the $143 million contract, was awarded such a large sum on an uncompetitive basis to perform work it has no proven record of undertaking. Safe America Media is registered to the personal address of Mike McElwain, a longtime Republican political operative.”
Senators Welch and Blumenthal requested the following answers and documents from The Strategy Group by March 13, 2026:
In addition, please provide detailed responses to the following questions:
Read and downloadthe Senators’ full letter to The Strategy Group.
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In the Senators’ letter to People Who Think’s Managing Partner Jay Connaughton, the lawmakers highlighted Mr. Connaughton’s deep ties to DHS political leadership:“According to public reporting, you and Corey Lewandowski, Chief Advisor to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, worked together on Louisiana Governor Jeff Landy’s 2023 campaign. You also previously served as a campaign advisor for President Trump.”
Senators Welch and Blumenthal requested the following answers and documents from People Who Think by March 13, 2026:
Read and downloadthe Senators’ full letter to People Who Think LLC.
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