PR Executive Disputes Senate Democrats’ DHS Contract Claims and Demands Apology

Benjamin Yoho, head of public‑relations firm The Strategy Group for Media and husband of former DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin, has sent a letter to Sens. Peter Welch and Richard Blumenthal demanding that Sen. Adam Schiff correct the record and apologize for statements made in a recent Kristi Noem oversight hearing. Schiff cited a figure suggesting Yoho’s company had secured $143 million in DHS‑related subcontracts tied to a $220 million ad campaign, but Yoho says his firm was merely a subcontractor to Safe America Media LLC and received $226,137.17 in production fees—about one‑tenth of one percent of the contract value. He calls Schiff’s description “factually incorrect” and says the work was not paid directly by DHS, pushing back against Democrats’ insinuations that Noem’s DHS ad blitz funneled large sums to insiders. The dispute comes after President Trump fired Noem as DHS secretary amid anger over her testimony that he had personally approved the controversial campaign, which featured her prominently and is now under intense scrutiny for possible favoritism and waste. The episode underscores how thin documentation and inflated numbers in high‑profile hearings can distort perceptions of government contracting and raise questions about whether lawmakers are exaggerating conflicts of interest for political effect.