WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democratic senators Adam Schiff, Peter Welch, and Richard Blumenthal requested that Salus Worldwide Solutions and Geo Group preserve personal records, corporate records, and all communications with Corey Lewandowski, any person representing or purporting to act on his behalf, or any consulting firms associated with him. The preservation request comes as multiple congressional committees and members of Congress are investigating whether Department of Homeland Security spending was subject to improper influence, corruption, or other violations of federal law, according to a letter from the senators.

According to two industry sources, Lewandowski, as a special government employee at the Department of Homeland Security, solicited payment from George Zoley, the founder of Geo Group, in exchange for protecting and growing Geo Group's contracts with the department. A spokesperson for Lewandowski denied the account of his interactions with Geo Group, saying "Patently false."

In a separate incident, a representative for Salus Worldwide Solutions asked a marketing firm to pay a portion of a potential contract to a consultant tied to Lewandowski, according to a person familiar with the discussions. Salus Worldwide Solutions won a contract to help the Department of Homeland Security encourage self-deportations.

The preservation requests are part of broader congressional scrutiny of DHS contracts. Members of the House Oversight Committee who are Democrats sent a letter to Geo Group asking for details of meetings and conversations the company had with Lewandowski.

The Department of Homeland Security Inspector General launched a criminal investigation into the awarding of a $220 million contract for an advertising campaign featuring then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, according to testimony by Markwayne Mullin at his nomination hearing. The criminal investigation has expanded to include a wider range of contracts, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Geo Group is a private prison firm contracted by the Department of Homeland Security to house undocumented immigrants.