Kristi Noem tried to launch a new border wall project in a desperate bid to deflect attention from her mounting problems.
Noem, ousted as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security this month, proposed to build 500 miles of border wall near Big Bend National Park in Texas. The plot went against Border Patrol’s plans to secure the region, according to a Friday report in the Washington Examiner.
Reporter Anna Giaritelli shared that her sources said the project was “an attempt to distract” from 54-year-old Noem’s growing list of scandals following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis and her $200 million ad campaign. The new stretch of wall was first proposed on the same day Renee Good was killed, Jan. 7.
Border Patrol officials reportedly said they “never had wall, never had plans for wall” in the area. Instead, the agency wanted to use technology to guard the border.
The Daily Beast reached out to DHS and Border Patrol for comment.
The new wall construction has attracted critics on both sides of the political divide. Lawmakers and advocates argued that the barrier would obstruct the natural beauty of Big Bend and disrupt the environment. Plans for a physical wall in Big Bend National Park have been nixed, but officials have begun placing buoys across 500 miles of the Rio Grande River despite environmental concerns.
Noem, who earned the nickname “ICE Barbie” for her affinity for cosplaying in various law enforcement roles, was ousted as DHS Secretary on March 5. She had been plagued by scandal throughout her tenure. It reached a peak after the fatal shootings of Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minnesota in January.
Criticism of the former Cabinet member intensified after Noem was grilled for spending $200 million on a front-facing ad campaign, which lawmakers accused her of using for her own “personal PR.” These televised advertisements put Noem front and center, with one prominent spot depicting her riding a horse in front of Mount Rushmore.
By the time Trump announced Noem’s firing, she was battling the fallout from the killing of American citizens by her agents, the pricey ad campaign, and the continued reporting on “Washington’s worst kept secret,” regarding Noem and her alleged lover and top aide Corey Lewandowski.
President Donald Trump appointed Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin to replace Noem, who was transferred to a new position as “Special Envoy to the Shield of the Americas.” Mullin was confirmed by the Senate on March 23 and will be tasked with refocusing the agency.
One challenge that awaits him is addressing suppliers who have not been paid because of Noem’s department’s policy requiring her personal sign-off on contracts over $100,000.
A source had told Axios that Noem left “a mountain of backed-up contracts and invoices on her desk that the new guy will just have to deal with.” The Washington Examiner reported that Mullin is expected to waive this rule.
