Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Thursday that members of her own department secretly installed spyware on government-issued phones and laptops used by Trump administration officials, including her own devices, allowing meetings to be recorded and communications monitored.
Speaking on the “PBD Podcast,” Noem said outside technology experts, including Elon Musk and members of his team, helped uncover unauthorized surveillance software after reviewing DHS hardware. She warned the monitoring could have continued without outside intervention.
Noem also described discovering a previously unknown secure facility on DHS grounds containing files on controversial matters that she said have now been turned over to attorneys for review. She added that the department’s past security posture was deeply flawed and extended beyond DHS itself.
“What I tell people most of the time is I always believed when people talked about the deep state before, that it existed,” Noem said. “I never would have dreamed that it was as bad as it is.”
