EXCLUSIVE: Newly obtained financial statements shed light on claims that former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin’s husband’s company profited millions as a result of a DHS advertising campaign.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem faced intense questioning during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday, and Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., specifically called out the agency for contracting a public relations firm headed by McLaughlin’s husband, Benjamin Yoho.

"I have personally reviewed the allegations against Ms. McLaughlin and I find them to be baseless," DHS General Counsel James Percival told Fox News Digital. "Nothing illegal or unethical occurred with respect to these contracts. Ms. McLaughlin was not involved in selecting any subcontractors.

"She is, however, a superstar in the public affairs world, so I am not surprised that she married a successful businessman whose services were attractive to these outside firms."

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Kennedy alleged that Yoho’s firm, The Strategy Group, "got most of the money" out of what the Louisiana Republican senator says was a $220 million in "television advertisements that feature [Noem] prominently."

"I'm sorry," Kennedy said. "Safe America Media was a company formed 11 days before you picked them. And that the Strategy Group got most of the money. And the head of that is married to your former spokesperson."

"It's just hard for me to believe knowing the president as I do, that you said, 'Mr. President, here's some ads I've cut and I'm going to spend $220 million running them that he would have agreed to that,'" Kennedy explained. "I don't think Russ Vought at OMB [Office of Management and Budget] would have agreed to that."

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The Strategy Group is a conservative advertising agency in which Yoho serves as CEO.

Figures obtained by Fox News Digital show a slightly lesser total advertising expenditure of approximately $185 million, with a total of roughly $146.5 million going to a campaign called "Save America."

However, of the total that went to "Save America," roughly $348,000 went to production costs, while the remaining $142 million went to "media buys."

Sources at DHS say that media buys are the cost of actually buying the ads themselves, whether purchased from social media or for a TV ad.

Kennedy also alleged that the bidding process for the contracts never took place, and that Safe America Media’s recent founding was a cause for concern and collusion between McLaughlin and her husband’s business. 

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"Yes they did," Noem responded during the hearing. "They went out to a competitive bid, and career officials at the department chose who would do those advertising commercials."

The Strategy Group posted to X on Tuesday that they have never had a contract with the department. While they did receive several hundred thousand dollars for production costs associated with the advertising campaigns, The Strategy Group never profited millions.

"The Strategy Group has never had a contract with DHS," the post read. "We had a subcontract with Safe America [Media] for limited production services. Safe America paid us $226,137.17 total for 5 film shoots, 45 produced video advertisements and 6 produced radio advertisements."

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"If you're going to try to question our integrity, bring actual evidence — we did," the post concluded.

Because these ads were purchased using public funds, all contract totals are publicly available. 

Lauren Bis, who took up the role of Assistant Secretary once McLaughlin left office, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that scrutiny from both Republicans and Democrats over the advertising spending was unjustified, as the campaigns resulted in "the most successful ad campaign in U.S. history."

"Sanctuary politicians are attacking this ad campaign because it has been successful in CLOSING our borders and getting more than 2.2 million illegal aliens to LEAVE the U.S.," Bis said. "The DHS domestic and international ad campaign was the most successful ad campaign in U.S. history. The results speak for themselves: 2.2 million illegal aliens self-deported, and we now have the most secure border in American history."

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Bis also compared the cost of arresting and deporting an illegal migrant to that of the minimal cost of an illegal migrant self-deporting. The department says the advertising campaign played a key role in marketing self-deportation.

A spokesperson at DHS also told Fox News Digital that contractors decide who they hire fulfilling the terms of the control, not the department itself. 

"By law, DHS cannot and does not determine, control or weigh in on who contractors hire or use to fulfill the terms of the contract," a DHS spokesperson told Fox. "Those decisions are made by the contractor alone. We have only become aware of these companies because of this inquiry and did not hire those companies."

The spokesperson also noted that McLaughlin "recused herself" from interactions with subcontractors to avoid "any perceived appearance of impropriety."

"Upon hearing who the subcontractors were for production of the ad, Ms. McLaughlin recused herself from any interaction or engagement with any subcontractors to avoid any perceived appearance of impropriety," the spokesperson continued. "DHS Office of Public Affairs is the program officer. Ms. McLaughlin oversees the DHS Office of Public Affairs which is simply the vehicle for this contract."

McLaughlin told Fox News Digital that the criticism of her and her family by senators at the hearing is a matter of public manipulation.

"This is yet another example of politicians intentionally trying to dupe and manipulate the public to try to manufacture division and anger," McLaughlin told Fox News Digital. "The ad spend and contracts are a matter of public record and the process was done by the book."

"These politicians would rather smear private citizens and American small businesses than do any basic research," the former DHS assistant secretary added.

Newly uncovered emails show the Fairfax County Police Department warned the county's commonwealth attorney about a criminal illegal migrant with more than 30 previous arrests at least three times before he allegedly stabbed a mother to death in the Washington, D.C. area.

Abdul Jalloh, 32, is charged with murder after allegedly stabbing 41-year-old Stephanie Minter to death at a bus stop in Fairfax County, Virginia, in late February. 

Jalloh, an illegal immigrant from Sierra Leone in West Africa who lived in Virginia since the age of 9, was arrested at a liquor store one day after the stabbing when an employee called 911 to report Jalloh was shoplifting.

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According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Jalloh entered the country in 2012 and has more than a dozen arrests in northern Virginia. 

His criminal history includes more than 30 arrests for charges of rape, malicious wounding, assault, drug possession, identity theft, trespassing, larceny, firing a weapon, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and pick-pocketing, yet his charges were dropped by local prosecutors on almost every occasion, according to DHS.

Emails obtained by WJLA showed the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) warned Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano’s office about Jalloh on at least three occasions, but no action was taken to remove him from the country.

In an email to Fairfax County Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Jenna Sands, a Fairfax County police major said he wanted to bring Jalloh's release to her attention because he "is one of the repeat (and violent) offenders" they had previously discussed.

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"I wanted to get your background on why he is out so soon and ask if his prior suspended sentence (of I believe 5 years) was pursued by your office? Unfortunately, based on MTV Station’s numerous dealings with him, it is not a question of if, but rather when he will maliciously wound (or worse) again. My role of keeping the public safe, prompts me to follow up on his status," the major wrote.

In another email discussing a bond alert from August 2025, a FCPD employee told Assistant Police Chief Brooke Wright that Jalloh had more than 100 involvements with FCPD, resulting in multiple charges spanning from theft to violent crimes, according to the outlet.

"JALLOH’s offenses began with domestic violence incidents and escalated to assaulting other victims and threats with weapons (knives)," the employee wrote in the email. "He has been involved in multiple stabbing incidents with victims identifying him as the offender in these cases. This year JALLOH has been the offender in a malicious wounding where he stabbed a man in May 2025, in which he received a bond on July 31, 2025 — three weeks later, this incident occurred where he assaulted an older male and stomped his head into the ground."

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The employee added a list of Jalloh’s criminal history to the email, which included:

2014: Assault on family member (nolle prossed)

2015: Assault on family member (nolle prossed)

2017: ID theft to avoid arrest (guilty)

2017: Assault (guilty)

2018: Possession of marijuana (guilty)

2018: Destruction of property (guilty) — Original charge: malicious shoot/throw occupied building

2018: Contributing to the delinquency of a minor (nolle prossed)

2018: Rape (nolle prossed)

2018: Grand larceny (nolle prossed)

2022: Trespassing (nolle prossed)

2023: Trespassing (guilty)

2023: Disorderly conduct (guilty)

2023: Possession of a schedule three substance (guilty) — Original charge: possession of a schedule one or two substance

2023: Malicious wounding (nolle prossed)

2023: Malicious wounding (guilty) — Sentenced to seven years, with five years suspended to probation

2023: Stealing property from a person (nolle prossed)

2024: Petit larceny (nolle prossed)

2024: Trespassing (nolle prossed)

2024: Petit larceny (nolle prossed)

2024: Disorderly conduct (nolle prossed)

2024: Malicious wounding (nolle prossed)

2024: Failure to appear in court (dismissed)

2025: Malicious wounding

*Nolle pressed refers to a prosecutor's formal decision to drop criminal charges.

In response to the email, Wright said Sands "had a specific conversation regarding them prosecuting without a victim in court for the stabbing given the circumstances and she was on board with a victimless prosecution."

In a May 2025 email obtained by WJLA, police emailed Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano’s office — including Sands and other prosecutors — warning that Jalloh "has a history of stabbing community members and was on probation during the most recent assault."

"For those reasons and the reasons outlined in the document, we ask that you argue he continues to be held at the ADC," an officer wrote.

The email also explained a May 4, 2025 incident where Jalloh allegedly stabbed a man in the leg while he was sleeping with his girlfriend.

"Without hesitation, the Victim stated that Jallow was the person who stabbed him. Jalloh has been charged with numerous Malicious woundings and been convicted of one in 2023 and [is] currently out on probation for the aforementioned crime and living in an OAR provided motel room," the officer wrote.

OAR is a nonprofit in Fairfax County that provides "alternatives to incarceration" for criminals.

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Similar to the other email, the officer included a list of prior police involvement, including an incident on April 14, 2024, where Jalloh allegedly stabbed a homeless man in the head and upper body while he was sleeping at a bus stop, telling him, "get up, you can’t sleep here."

Later that same day, Jalloh allegedly stabbed a woman in the head after attacking her and stealing her money, according to the email.

Other incidents included Jalloh allegedly choking a woman, stomping on her, burning her chest and raping her in October 2018, stabbing a person inside a McDonald's in January 2023, and stabbing an elderly man in February 2023.

The email also said police had a record of 178 involvements, citing Jalloh as a known shoplifter and noting he "is often intoxicated/high and located w/narcotics on his person."

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"DANGER This individual has a long history of stabbing community members and is currently on probation for doing that very thing," the officer wrote. "He has shown a blatant disregard for human life and is a danger to the community."

Despite Jalloh's criminal history and the recent killing of Minter, Democratic Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said she would not honor a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer, which is a written request for law enforcement to maintain custody of a person for up to 48 hours after their scheduled release to allow for transfer to ICE custody.

A governor's spokesperson told WJLA that DHS would need to provide a signed judicial warrant from a local judge to ensure that Jalloh is deported.

"Sanctuary [Gov. Abigail Spanberger] is fighting to protect a MURDERER over American citizens," DHS wrote in an X post. "This monster is responsible for fatally stabbing Stephanie Minter. ICE does NOT need judicial warrants to make arrests. 

"The heroes of ICE will continue to arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens across the Commonwealth while Governor Spanberger RELEASES them from jails into Virginia communities to commit more crimes and create more victims."

In early February, Spanberger ended cooperation with state agencies and federal immigration authorities through an executive directive, claiming she had "serious concerns that chaotic federal law enforcement actions across the country are eroding years of trust," adding immigration enforcement "contributes to a culture of fear and distrust."

A Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney's Office spokesperson told Fox News Digital their office "was aware of Jalloh’s criminal history and shared police concerns about potential future dangerousness – that is why our Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney personally handled these cases."

The spokesperson said prosecutors "will often explore many different pathways to successful prosecution, but at the end of the day our decisions are constrained by what testimony is available and what is legally permissible and practicable in Fairfax courts."

The Fairfax County Police Department and Spanberger's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

Fox News Digital's Preston Mizell contributed to this report.