Noem avoids Kim Jong Un answer but offers direct hit on reservations

PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — Governor Kristi Noem’s Book went on sale today. “No Going Back” is generating some heat for the governor, who has been appearing on more than a dozen news and political entertainment programs around the country. One of those interviews was with News Nation, which operates under the same parent company as KELOLAND.

During the interview with News Nation’s Elizabeth Vargas, Governor Noem defended her decision to remove a passage from her book describing a meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

Vargas: “Your spokesman told Politico that the world leader’s names were conflated in the book. What does that even mean?”

Noem: “What it means is that I met with many world leaders, many of them”.

Vargas: Did you meet with Kim Jong Un?

Noem: “Some of them are in the book, and some of them are not, and when this was brought to my attention, I immediately took action and asked to have his name removed”.

Vargas: “But, why did you remove it? Is it because it’s untrue, that passage?”

Noem: “No, I’ve been; this is something that I think I’m not going to talk about. I don’t talk about personal meetings with world leaders, and I’m going to continue to stay there.

Vargas: “But clearly, if you are taking it out of the book, it’s untrue”.

Noem: “I’ve given you my answer”.

Noem also talked about her belief that drug cartels are operating in South Dakota on the reservations.

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“But we have the cartels set up in South Dakota,” said Noem.

“They are set up?” asked Vargas.

“They are set up in South Dakota,” said Noem.

“How do you know that?” asked Vargas.

“Because I’ve seen the pictures, and our investigators have interacted with them,” said Noem. “In fact, we had a cartel member kidnap an FBI officer just last week. You know it is well known, and they are able to operate on those tribal reservations because they are protected.”

Noem told Vargas the U.S. Department of Justice knows about the situation.

Noem was considered a top candidate to be Donald Trump’s pick for vice president. It’s unclear how the fallout from the book will impact her chances, but political experts believe it has diminished her chances.

Today, Trump told a Wisconsin news station that Noem has quote had “a rough couple of days”.

KELOLAND News could not confirm that an FBI agent was kidnapped last week as the Governor suggested. However, two weeks ago, a judge sentenced three people to federal prison for kidnapping an FBI agent in 2022. One of the defendants was from El Salvador, another was from Guatemala, and the third was from Colorado.

We asked the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office about the governor’s claim. A spokesman says they could not confirm that cartels are actually in South Dakota, but they did say the majority of illegal drugs found in South Dakota come from south of the border and are tied to the cartels.