Three senior Department of Homeland Security officials who championed or defended Kristi Noem's contested contracting practices remain in their posts under new leadership, even as the Office of the Inspector General opens audits into billions of dollars in non-competitive awards made during her tenure.
General Counsel James Percival, Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar, and Undersecretary for Management Rob Law have all survived the recent purge that swept away more than two dozen other DHS officials since Secretary Markwayne Mullin took the helm in March. Their persistence raises questions about institutional momentum at the agency as it faces heightened scrutiny over procurement decisions.
The contracting controversies run deep. During Noem's leadership, more than $9 billion in agency business was steered through less-than-fully competitive bidding processes, according to federal spending data. Her signature move was a personal sign-off requirement on every contract exceeding $100,000, a bottleneck that delayed agency operations and held up FEMA recovery dollars.
The most glaring example involves a $915 million contract awarded in May 2025 to Salus Worldwide Solutions for a deportation initiative. The request was posted on a Friday with bids due the following Monday, giving advance notice only to a select group of companies. Salus, which had no prior history as a federal prime contractor, won the work and subsequently purchased luxury jets and seven other ICE deportation aircraft.
A federal lawsuit filed by CSI Aviation, a longtime ICE deportation flights vendor, challenged the process. Earlier this month, DHS approved a $200 million extension on the same contract. While the agency claims this is merely a final payment before reopening the work to full competition, the speed and secrecy surrounding the original award fueled complaints about political favoritism.
Percival publicly defended Noem's ad campaign contracts in a Fox News article the day before she was removed from office. Edgar co-authored a November op-ed backing her contract review system. Both men remain influential figures in the department. Law, a political appointee, was identified in Washington Post reporting as a key contact for Salus, though DHS has stated he played no role in the contract or its extension.
When asked about these officials, a DHS spokesperson characterized them as valuable team members serving Secretary Mullin's mission. The agency also announced that Mullin had rescinded Noem's $100,000 contract review memo, claiming the move would streamline procurement and empower department components.
The fact that these three officials survived the churn suggests their roles may be insulated from the broader reckoning over contracting practices. Multiple audits are underway. Whether they face consequences for their association with the disputed awards remains an open question.
Author James Rodriguez: "The retention of officials directly tied to these contracts, while lower-ranking staff were cleaned out, hints that someone at DHS wanted continuity on procurement decisions."
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