Kristi Noem, the embattled Secretary Homeland Security, supplemented her government income by receiving $80,000 from a political nonprofit while she was the Governor of South Dakota, potentially violating ethics rules.
The income never was disclosed on federal ethics forms. Also, because the organization, known as American Resolve Policy Fund, does not have to disclose who its donors are, there's no way to track where the money came from, according to ProPublica.
"If donors to these nonprofits are not just holding the keys to an elected official's political future but also literally providing them with their income, that's new and disturbing," Daniel Weiner, a former Federal Election Commission attorney who now leads the Brennan Center's work on campaign finance, told ProPublica.
In a statement to ProPublica, Noem's lawyer, Trevor Stanley, stated, "Then-Governor Noem fully complied with the letter and the spirit of the law." According to Stanley the Office of Government Ethics cleared her information regarding American Resolve Policy Fund. ProPublica wrote that Stanley did not respond to follow-up questions about whether the office was aware of the $80,000 payment.
The revelation comes as Noem continues to face scrutiny from Capitol Hill. Earlier this year Noem faced criticism after describing two U.S. citizens killed during immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota as "domestic terrorists." She made the statements in the immediate aftermath of both shootings and prior to any in-depth investigations.
In the shooting death of Alex Pretti, Noem initially said that he had approached officers brandishing a gun. Video footage of the incident contradicted her statements.
In testimony this week before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Noem defended her use of the phrase "domestic terrorists" to describe Pretti and Renee Good, saying that she was getting reports from the scene and that the scene was chaotic, the New York Times reported.
"You believe calling the victims of violence 'domestic terrorists' is a way to calm the scene?" Senator Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, responded.
Senator Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, voiced frustration with what he said was Noem's failure to answer questions about an immigration crackdown in Charlotte, Politico reported.
The website described Tillis as "irate" as he threatened to use Senate procedures to stop nominations and prevent legislation from advancing unless Noem responded to his questions.
"If I don't get an answer that you've had a month to respond to, and the remaining ones ... as of today, I'll be informing leadership that I'm putting a hold on any en bloc nominations until I get a response, and in two weeks, if I don't get a response, I'm going to deny quorum and markup in as many committees as I can until I get a response," the website quoted Tillis.
