Not to beat a dead horse, but how could we ignore the spectacle South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem gave of herself during a promotional tour for her just-published memoir, No Going Back?
Over the weekend, she sparred with Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation,” and Brennan reminded her of the wisdom of including anecdotes about killing family dogs and goats and other awful stories in books. I asked him to think about it.
opinion columnist
robin abcaryan
Rather than answering simple questions about judgment or memory, Noem is a master of the kind of nonsensical turns that plague interviews with politicians these days, especially Republican politicians. certified. Just barely, but let me rephrase it.
Q: Do you regret writing about killing your dog Cricket?
A: Why is Joe Biden’s Secret Service agent-eating dog commander still alive?
Q: Why did you lie about meeting Kim Jong Un?
A: No beeswax!
But as they say, the receipt is there.
Or at least they were. In her embargoed memoir, obtained by the Guardian, Noem reportedly wrote: I’m sure he underestimated me, not knowing anything about my experience looking down on little tyrants (I was a children’s pastor).
There’s a lot wrong with this passage, but it’s not because it didn’t actually happen.
It is narcissism at its most delusional to pretend that a world-class villain like Kim will make an obscure American congressman think twice. But do you throw your own idyllic duckling under the bus by comparing it to a murderous dictator? That’s tough. (Not as harsh as killing a puppy, but still.)
Noem served in Congress from 2011 to 2019. As South Dakota’s only member of the House of Representatives and a member of the Armed Services Committee, Noem naturally traveled extensively and had contact with many world leaders. She writes about meeting or attending events with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, Britain’s Boris Johnson, and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni. She cited favorably the re-election of Hungarian strongman Viktor Orbán.
When “No Going Back” became officially available on Tuesday, I downloaded it to my Kindle. Noem had no illusions about meeting Kim Jong-un face-to-face.
But Kim’s anecdote isn’t the only one Noem has been accused of making up.
Other challenges include her claim that she canceled a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in 2023 after he made statements that appeared to be anti-Israel and pro-Hamas, and her claim that she had made “threats” during the pandemic. ” includes her report on what she called a phone call. Words from former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who was considering running for president at the time.
Macron’s office told The Associated Press that Noem was never invited to meet Macron, but acknowledged the two may have been scheduled to attend the same event in Paris. .
Regarding her phone call with Hailey, Noem wrote: That was strange. ”
Haley’s representatives disputed Noem’s account, telling Politico that Haley, herself a former governor, called Noem to offer assistance during the pandemic. “It’s just bizarre how she would twist that into a threat,” said Haley’s publicist Cheney Denton.
On Sunday, Noem doubled down. “That story is absolutely true,” she told the “CBS Morning” host. “She’s a typical politician who will say whatever it takes to serve her own interests.”
In a book full of exaggerated stories of her imaginary but immense courage, consider the following: genuine It would have taken courage to shut up and say, “I’m sorry.” Looks like I’ve gotten a little carried away. ”
Instead, her spokesman Ian Furey essentially blamed Noem’s ghostwriter for the fabricated incident with North Korea’s supreme leader. “Kim Jong Un was included in the list of world leaders, but he shouldn’t have been included,” Fury told Dakota Scout. “This matter has been passed on to the ghostwriter and editor.”
This excuse for not responding is just like the classic obfuscation: “A mistake was made.” Ironically, Noem writes in the acknowledgments of his memoir, “Thank you Ian for keeping me honest.” Great job, Ian!
Instead of admitting she messed up, Noem posted on social media, Scape ghosted.
So who is the ghostwriter?
From the memoir’s acknowledgments, he appears to be Mike Loomis, whom Noem describes as a “crazy guy” and “even scolded me once for not being ready to write the material!” ”. (Disclaimer: If you look at this phrase, you’ll understand why she needed her writing help.)
Mr. Loomis is a veteran ghostwriter of at least a dozen memoirs, including one by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. I contacted him through his website but received no response. The poor guy is probably inundated with requests for comments.
On Monday, the day after her disastrous “Face the Nation” appearance, Noem was slammed by Elizabeth Vargas on NewsNation Network. Fortunately for Noem, her story about cricket is no longer big news. Unfortunately for Nomu, her current focus is on whether she lied about looking down on Kim Jong Un.
“When this was brought to our attention, we made adjustments,” she told Vargas. “That name shouldn’t be in the book, and I’m not going to talk about those private meetings.”
“But if you take it out of a book, it’s obviously false,” Vargas says.
“I gave you the answer,” Noem said. “But no, that’s not the answer.”
“You recorded an audiobook and read this entire book aloud, so why didn’t you take it out then?” Vargas pressed.
“Is there anything else you’d like to talk about today?” Nomu asked.
“We’re just trying to get a clear answer,” Vargas replied.
“You did that,” Noem said. “That means I took on the responsibility. The expense stops with me.”
President Truman would be spinning in his grave.
