'It Just Gets Worse': Kristi Noem Torched For Digging In Again On Kim Jong Un Story
Kristi Noem is still digging in after making a dubious claim in her new book that she once met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and critics aren’t buying it.
The South Dakota governor, a Republican, has been at the center of an intensifying firestorm surrounding the release of her book, “No Going Back.” One of the issues at hand is the veracity of her claim that she met Kim when she was serving in Congress. After that claim was called out as false, her spokesperson told HuffPost on Friday that two “small errors” in the book would be corrected, and that Kim was “included in a list of world leaders and shouldn’t have been.”
But over the past few days, Noem muddied the waters in a series of media appearances in which she refused to give a straight answer on whether she had met with Kim.
Speaking to Fox News on Monday, Noem did it again when pressed by host Jesse Watters.
“Did you meet [Kim Jong Un]?” Watters asked.
“I’ve been to the DMZ. I’ve been to North Korea,” Noem replied, referring to the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.
“I don’t talk about my conversations with world leaders,” she added, even though she did just that in the book.
“And so, when I looked at the book and I saw that excerpt, I decided to make the change to the content of the book and that’s been done.”
Watters followed up, “So, you didn’t have a conversation with Kim when you were at the DMZ?”
“I don’t have conversations about my conversations with world leaders,” Noem replied.
The new spin didn’t land on social media, where she was encouraged to put down the shovel.
“It just gets worse every time she opens her mouth,” former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) posted.
See some of the other reactions below.
WHY IS SHE SO BAD AT THIS https://t.co/CuqUevp6SB
— Secular Talk🎙 (@KyleKulinski) May 7, 2024
"And yet, I will write about my internal monologue about murdering a puppy and a goat." https://t.co/16o1c6DOWk
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) May 7, 2024
She needs to lay low. Very low and very quiet. https://t.co/tQMOTShp0Y
— Heather Thomas (@HeatherThomasAF) May 7, 2024
She’s now saying it’s classified but she spoke about in her book and read the audio version. It’s simply a lie. https://t.co/rtBNVXcOBW
— Sara Spector (@Miriam2626) May 7, 2024
The whole week, Noem keeps stepping on rakes she threw on the ground herself.
I can’t believe we’re on week two of this. https://t.co/K4aXF754bYpic.twitter.com/owFJJIOQJa— Marmel (@Marmel) May 7, 2024
Not to be unprofessional but what a bunch of horseshit. https://t.co/dAdw66LO2B
— Fred Wellman (@FPWellman) May 7, 2024
It’s classified. https://t.co/2D6GGJtgrz
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) May 7, 2024
Seriously, someone has to stop her. Confirming you met a world leader isn’t talking about the conversation. Politicians announce meetings with world leaders all the time. She was caught in a lie and she just continues to damage herself. https://t.co/L4nF5gh9wx
— Chad Hasty (@ChadHastyRadio) May 7, 2024