A new book by ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent and co-anchor of "This Week" Jonathan Karl claims that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was only given the job by President Donald Trump as a favor to her alleged lover and Trump's close advisor, Corey Lewandowski.

"Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign That Changed America" releases on Tuesday, and it is billed as a tell-all about petty in-fighting among members of Trump's 2024 campaign.

Lewandowski is a long-time friend of Trump, and worked for all three of his presidential campaigns.

He was fired while running the 2016 campaign because Jared and Ivanka Kushner demanded it, but by 2020 he had crept back into the inner circle and reportedly, began an affair with Noem in 2019 that continues today.

"Open secret"

The pair are both still married to their respective spouses and deny that anything has happened between them, even though Karl claims in the book that their affair is an "open secret" in MAGA world.

Noem was in the running for Trump's VP pick in 2023, but she was passed over after her book came out and included a description of shooting her hunting dog when it was injured and had to be put down.

It was meant to show that she could do what needed to be done, but made her come across as callous and heartless to a general public mostly unfamiliar with hard-core hunting and farming.

Not even on the list

According to the Karl book, Noem wasn't even on the Trump transition team list for DHS, but he selected her anyway.

Karl went on: "When a surprised Trump adviser asked the president-elect why he had decided to nominate Noem to be secretary of Homeland Security, he had a simple answer.

"'I did it for Corey,' Trump allegedly said. 'It's the only thing Corey asked me for.'"

Lewandowski works in the department under Noem, in the same capacity of "special government employee" that Musk did when he was running DOGE.

Is it true?

Of course, reporters have jumped on the story and want to know if any of it is true.

"President Trump selected the best and most qualified individuals to serve in his cabinet and work on behalf of the American people," White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said of the choice.

Karl wouldn't be the first reporter to make things up from whole cloth where Trump is concerned.

One thing is certain: Noem has been a remarkable face for DHS, sending a strong message on immigration from day one that I'm sure has Trump congratulating himself, no matter how it came about.