'An incredible a mount of money': GOP lawmakers stunned by Kristi Noem travel bills
Prior to becoming Donald Trump's Department of Homeland Security secretary, former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) was busy gallivanting around the country in an attempt to raise her political profile with multiple trips to Mar-a-Lago and another to Paris to give a speech -- on the taxpayer's dime.
According to a report from the Associated Press, a lawsuit by The Dakota Scout uncovered details about Noem's travel expenses that also included bear hunting trip with her niece courtesy of South Dakota's taxpayers.
In interviews with the AP, two South Dakota Republicans expressed dismay and shock that Noem, whose GOP vice presidential nomination hopes died after she admitted to shooting her puppy Cricket ("I hated that dog"), was using state funds instead of campaign or personal funds.
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According to the AP report, "Most of those costs covered the state-provided security that accompanied Noem, irrespective of the reason for her travel. Over her six years as governor, AP’s analysis shows, South Dakota covered more than $640,000 in travel-related costs incurred by the governor’s office. The expenditures include $7,555 in airfare for a six-day trip to Paris, where she gave a speech at a right-wing gathering, costs associated with a bear hunt in Canada with her niece and a book tour that included a stop in New York. An additional $2,200 stemmed from a controversial trip last year to Houston for dental work she showcased on Instagram."
According to former Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R-SD), Noems' lavish spending “offends a lot of people.”
Fellow Republican and State Senator Taffy Howard agreed and added, "It seems like an incredible amount of money."
Asked to defend the disclosure, a spokesperson for the DHS secretary, who is facing new criticism over a trip to El Salvador to pose in front of caged prisoners, replied, "Unfortunately, bad guys tend to make threats against high-profile public officials. When it was a political or personal trip, she paid for her own travel out of her political or personal funds,” while admitting to AP "that some of the travel lacked an apparent connection to state business."