Noem attacks ‘fake news’ over questioning of Kim Jong Un Lie

Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Kristi Noem’s political career is imploding because she’s too magical for her own good.

More specifically, it’s imploding because the governor of South Dakota included a story about shooting her dog in her new book. No more going back. As Politico reports, two years ago several people told her to delete the anecdote from an earlier memoir. Not my first rodeo:

Then as now, Noem wanted to publish the story because it showed a decisive person unwilling to be tied down by ridiculous niceties, while others on the team—including agents, editors, and publicists at Hachette Book Group’s prestigious Twelve imprint, and a ghostwriter – saw it as a tasteless anecdote that would damage her brand. According to two people involved in the project, the story was ultimately scrapped.

Noem is also in trouble because she apparently lied about other things too No more going back, which comes out on Tuesday. Over the weekend, the book’s publisher said that Noem’s untrue claims about a meeting with Kim Jong-un would be removed from future editions:

But on the whole, these stories seem to be in No turning back anymore Because Noem wanted the book to convey to Donald Trump and his supporters that she is not like the other politicians on his vice presidential list: She is tough, she is folksy and she is not afraid to do what needs to be done, be it that she stands up for a foreign dictator or the shooting of a puppy.

So it’s no surprise that Noem is trying to defend herself with a classic MAGA tactic: claiming she’s the victim of “fake news.” But it’s pretty funny since the “news” in question is just things she said in her own book.

Noem’s reasons for blaming the media for her book debacle continue to evolve. After The guard When he reported on April 26 that Noem’s book included an anecdote about the fatal shooting of her dog, Cricket, the governor initially tried to put a positive spin on the outrage by suggesting that media nuts don’t understand how many dogs are killed on the farm . “If you want more real, honest, politically INCORRECT stories that will make the media go crazy, pre-order ‘No Going Back,'” she says wrote on X

Then, in an interview with Sean Hannity a few days later, Noem said that the journalists not only overreacted but also misrepresented what she had written.

“Well, Sean, you know how fake news works,” she said. “They leave out some or most of the facts of a story, they twist the story for the worst, and that’s exactly what happened in this case.”

Noem did not provide any additional facts, she simply argued that a 14-month-old dog was not a “puppy” and claimed she was protecting her children by personally killing “dangerous” working animals when her school bus dropped them off at home.

“The point of the story is that most politicians run from the truth, shy away from difficult decisions and hide,” Noem told Hannity. “I tell the truth and make difficult decisions.”

Ironically, Noem seemed to “run away from the truth” in her next two interviews. Face the nation‘s Margaret Brennan asked the governor a simple question: “Have you met Kim Jong-un?”

Although Noem admitted that the claim had been removed from the book, she refused to answer the question directly, oddly emphasizing that she had met many world leaders.

“As soon as it was brought to my attention, I definitely made some changes and looked at that passage,” Noem said. “And I met many, many world leaders. I have traveled around the world. Once it was brought to my attention, we went ahead and made some changes.”

Brennan repeatedly pressed Noem on how the false claim got into the book and why it took so long for her to understand it, since the governor read the audiobook herself. Brennan noted that this wasn’t a casual reference to Kim; Noem notes in the book, “I’m sure he underestimated me, since he had no idea what my experience of staring at little bullies was like (I had been a children’s priest, after all).”

Instead of answering one of those legitimate questions, Noem said sharply, “Do you have a question for me, Margaret?” and asked why the moderator didn’t question President Biden, who was not present at the interview, about his gaffes.

After her Face the nation Noem complained on

If you ask about the Kim anecdotes on Monday CBS This Morning, Noem dodged again. “It’s a simple question: Did you meet with Kim Jong-un or not?” asked host Natalie Morales. Noem simply reiterated her arguments. “The answer I have for you is that it will be adjusted,” she said.

Noem performed the same routine in an interview that aired Monday on NewsNation. She did not directly respond to moderator Elizabeth Vargas’ questions and claimed the Kim story was not removed because it was false.

“If you take it out of the book, it’s clearly because it’s untrue,” Vargas said.

“I’ll give you my answer, and no, that’s not the answer,” Noem responded. “I asked for this to be adjusted and the content and that name removed and that is really the action.”

Maybe Noem still believes she can get out of this mess by imitating Trump. After all, he used “fake news” as an epithet for exactly this scenario: when you try to deflect legitimate questions from reporters without offering any conclusive facts or explanations.

This post has been updated.