Kristi Noem, the governor of South Dakota, has reportedly been selected as President-elect Donald Trump's next Department of Homeland Security Secretary.
Noem was earlier allegedly shortlisted for the position of Vice President, however, things reportedly changed after she sparked a few controversies with her new memoir. These controversies included her killing a dog and her meeting with the supreme leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un.
According to The Dakota Scout, a copy of Noem's memoir No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward was obtained which had details about her meeting with Kim Jong Un. The meeting apparently took place when Noem was in Congress as the representative of South Dakota.
Noem mentioned that she traveled to many countries to meet world leaders, per The New York Times. She further went into detail about her meeting with Kim Jong Un and claimed that he underestimated her.
"I remember when I met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. I’m sure he underestimated me, having no clue about my experience staring down little tyrants (I’d been a children’s pastor, after all). Dealing with foreign leaders takes resolve, preparation, and determination."
While the news of her apparent meeting spread like wildfire, she later alleged that it should not have been in the book.
Did Kristi Noem meet Kim Jong Un?
In an interview with CBS News, Kristi Noem was questioned if she met Kim Jong Un. She refrained from answering the question and kept emphasizing her meeting with "many, many world leaders." The 52-year-old politician also confirmed that "edits" were made in the book.
When the interviewer again asked her if she was asserting she had not met the North Korean leader, she said,
"No, I’ve met with many, many world leaders."
"I'm not going to talk about my specific meetings with world leaders, I’m just not going to do that. This anecdote shouldn’t have been in the book and as soon as it was brought to my attention, I made sure that was adjusted," she added.
Kristi Noem's spokesperson Ian Fury also addressed the incident and told news outlets that Kim Jong Un's name was mentioned in error.
Another incident from the memoir that sparked controversy involved Kristi admitting to shooting her 14-month-old dog, a Wirehaired Pointer named Cricket. According to the Guardian, she stated the dog was "untrainable" and ruined a hunt. She also mentioned that Cricket killed another family's chicken and moved to bite her.
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She also defended her doings in a tweet.
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