‘Busy Grandma’ Kristi Noem, 53, Opens Up About Bag Theft
The Homeland Security secretary is speaking out about the Sunday incident where a man stole her Gucci handbag.

Pool/Getty Images
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is finally opening up about what happened on the fateful night a thief nabbed her designer purse from a D.C. restaurant.
Noem, 53, said she was busy taking care of her grandchildren when she felt something brush against her leg. She thought it was one of the kids, accidentally kicking her.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem looks on during a press conference. On Sunday a thief stole her $4,000 designer handbag.
Joe Raedle/Joe Raedle/Getty Images
“It was kind of shocking, actually, because it was sitting right by my feet... he hooked it with his foot and dragged it a few steps away and dropped a coat over it and took it,” Noem recalled on The Vince Show podcast with Vince Coglianese.
A man with a medical mask snatched Noem’s Gucci handbag, which contained $3,000, her DHS access card, her Louis Vuitton Clemence wallet, passport, apartment key, and makeup bag of course—which she likely never leaves home without.
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Noem, who is in charge of the nation’s security and has round-the-clock security detail, defended her lack of awareness during the ordeal, saying the theft was “professionally done.”

A member of the US Coast Guard helps Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem put on equipment before posing for one of her common photoshoots.
ALEX BRANDON/Alex Brandon/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
“I think I was a busy grandma with four grandkids under the age of 4, and I was taking care of them and feeding them food and enjoying my family, yeah, but certainly had my purse even touching my feet,” she said in her own defense.
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The revelation that she had $3,000 in cash stashed in her bag also fueled rampant speculation online that she may be having an affair with her adviser and former Trump campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski. Both Noem and Lewandowski are married—to other people.
If you wonder why the DHS Secretary brought $3,000 in cash to dinner, consider that she’s reportedly having an affair with her unofficial top aide. (Both are married and may want to keep certain expenditures off of their credit card bills.) https://t.co/FRvUdUavVa pic.twitter.com/FxP5LqAtuH
— Eric Columbus (@EricColumbus) April 21, 2025
The Secret Service is investigating the incident, which happened Sunday night at upscale pub-style spot Capital Burger. Noem was dining with DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
The theft raises more questions about the Secret Service’s aptitude, which has been under intense scrutiny after a gunman attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump last summer. It is unclear how the thief was able to get so close to Noem and walk out without any agents intervening.

As prisoners stand looking out from a cell, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem films a bizarre video a tour of El Salvador's Terrorist Confinement Center (CECOT) on March 26.
Pool/Getty Images
Noem was carrying cash to treat her children and grandchildren to Easter festivities and dinner.
Noem added on the podcast that the stolen purse has yet to be returned.
“It tells me that this happens all the time to people, and that they live in communities where this is a danger,” she admitted.
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