Trump on the Lewandowski Probe: 'I Will Never Do Anything to Stop a Prosecution'

Corey Lewandowski ran Donald Trump's first campaign and later served as Kristi Noem's right hand at Homeland Security. Now the Justice Department is examining allegations that he profited off that job, the Wall Street Journal reported exclusively on Thursday, Oct. 22. CNN followed within minutes.

So what did the president do about his old campaign manager? He didn't circle the wagons.

Trump, in his own words

"I don't know about it. I mean, I heard something about it, but I don't know exactly what it is. All I know is I want my people to be honest. And if they're not going to be honest, they have to be prosecuted," Trump told reporters before boarding Marine One (White House video, transcript). "They're stealing from me as president. … And if they're not honest, I'll have my DOJ go and do whatever they have to do." Asked if that meant he was fine with the probe, he said: "I guess I can stop anything. Look, if my people are not -- I have no idea what he did."

He kept going: "I want my people to be honest. If he's honest, that's good. If he's not honest, you have to pay a price." And then the line that matters most: "I will never -- I will never do anything to stop a prosecution if somebody is dishonest" (transcript).

What investigators are looking at

The probe follows a criminal referral from the DHS inspector general, the department's internal watchdog, which has been examining contracting during Noem's and Lewandowski's tenure, CNN reported. Earlier, the Journal had reported investigators found evidence he may have been involved in improperly awarding government contracts.

A few facts frame it, all per CNN:

The job. Lewandowski came in as a special government employee, a temporary role meant to last a limited number of days, but officials came to see him as Noem's gatekeeper and de facto chief of staff.

The contracts. Noem ordered every contract and grant over $100,000 to cross her desk, a rule she defended as cutting waste and that several DHS officials called unusual.

The prosecutor. D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro told her office in recent months she wanted investigators to look at claims of kickbacks tied to DHS contracting. It isn't clear which U.S. attorney's office is leading the case.

The backstory. Trump fired Noem earlier this year after she claimed he knew about a $220 million ad campaign that featured her. Lewandowski left with her.

Lewandowski hasn't been charged, and he denies it. "Mr. Lewandowski has not been contacted by the Justice Department regarding any investigation, and he denies any wrongdoing when he was proudly serving his country in a voluntary capacity," his lawyer, Adam Trigg, told CNN.

Why Trump's answer matters

For years his critics have said Trump would protect his loyalists no matter what. Lewandowski is about as loyal as they come. Asked point-blank, Trump said the opposite: if the evidence is there, prosecute.

Think of an owner who hears a manager might have had a hand in the till. He doesn't call the manager's lawyer. He tells the auditors to open every drawer. That's the standard Trump set for his own people, and it's the right one.