GOP-Linked Firms Collected At Least $23M From $220M DHS Ad Campaign

Two companies tied to longtime Republican operatives collected at least $23 million in commissions for their roles in a controversial $220 million Department of Homeland Security advertising campaign that helped trigger political fallout surrounding Secretary Kristi Noem.

An internal DHS memo dated March 3 and three people familiar with the contracts — who spoke on the condition of anonymity — show that Safe America Media received at least $15.2 million after being formed in February, just days before it won a limited-bid contract to work on the campaign. Safe America Media is run by Republican operatives Mike McElwain and Patrick McCarthy, who have connections to a media-buying firm that placed significant ads for President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.

The memo also shows that People Who Think earned roughly $7.7 million, representing a 10% commission on part of the campaign. That firm was co-founded by Jay Connaughton, who worked on Trump’s 2016 campaign and has consulted for other conservative candidates and causes.

Limited Competition and Commission Rates

The DHS memo said contracts were awarded after a “limited competition” because of an “urgent and compelling need” for the public-awareness effort. It noted that People Who Think’s 10% commission for international advertising and Safe America Media’s 12% commission for domestic advertising were below the industry norm cited in the memo of roughly 15%.

Bloomberg reported the DHS campaign was among the most expensive U.S. government marketing efforts in the last decade outside of military recruiting and COVID-19 public-health outreach.

Political Fallout and Oversight Questions

The campaign included a produced spot showing Secretary Noem in a cowboy hat riding a horse at Mount Rushmore. The ads became a flashpoint in the White House and helped fuel criticism that Noem used DHS resources in ways that boosted her political profile — an impression that contributed to her political downfall, according to reporting and congressional scrutiny.

White House officials told reporters they did not believe President Trump signed off on the campaign. Critics and some lawmakers have argued the contracts signaled limited oversight and opaque procurement decisions.

Responses and Subcontractors

Safe America Media’s lawyer, Joseph Folio, said in a statement to POLITICO that the firm “submitted a proposal for and was awarded a contract to support DHS’s nationwide public awareness campaign, and committed substantial resources to meet an accelerated timeline on budget,” and that the company would provide additional information to correct any inaccuracies in reporting. McCarthy, McElwain and Connaughton did not respond to requests for comment, and People Who Think could not be reached. DHS declined to comment.

The Strategy Group — led by Ben Yoho, husband of Noem’s former communications aide Tricia McLaughlin — produced some ads as a subcontractor for Safe America Media. Yoho told senators his company’s work was limited to a $226,000 ad-production subcontract. McLaughlin has said she recused herself from the campaign, and DHS general counsel James Percival publicly supported her account that she was not involved in selecting subcontractors.

Records show Safe America Media placed some buys through Strategic Media Services Inc. (SMS). Federal Election Commission filings indicate SMS received more than $269 million from Trump’s 2024 campaign. Corporate registrations show SMS used the same office address between 2013 and 2021 as Designated Market Media Inc., where McElwain is president. SMS did not respond to requests for comment.

Congressional Scrutiny

Senators from both parties pressed Noem about the campaign during early March hearings. Republican Sens. Thom Tillis and John Kennedy, joined by Democrats, questioned the ads’ purpose and effectiveness. Noem defended the campaign, saying it persuaded roughly two million immigrants to self-deport and saved the government billions — a claim that became central to her public defense but was met with skepticism by some lawmakers.