Kristi Noem earned $80,000 from an anonymous donor when she was governor of South Dakota, which greatly increased her government salary – but was unable to announce it later.
Noem, who now leads the Department of Homeland Security, has received funding from a nonprofit called the American Resolve Policy Fund, which does not need to disclose the names of its donors in 2023.
According to the report ProPublicaNom then failed to disclose the payment. After becoming the head of the Department of Homeland Security, she released detailed accounting of assets and revenue sources since 2023, but still failed to include the payment, which would significantly increase her government salary by $130,000.
Experts told the media that such failure may violate federal ethics requirements.
According to a new report (AP), in the role of Governor of South Dakota Kristi Noem, earning $80,000 from an anonymous donor – a substantial increase in her salary – but was unable to announce that later.
The ethics in the Government Act require senior federal employees to submit financial disclosure reports to identify and avoid potential financial conflicts of interest. Failure to properly disclose information can result in fines, referrals to the U.S. Attorney General or other disciplinary action.
“It's new and disturbing if donors of these nonprofits not only hold the key to the political future of elected officials, but also provide them with income,” Daniel Weiner, a former Federal Election Commission attorney, told him. ProPublica.
Documents show that in 2023, $80,000 was transferred to Noem’s personal company, an LLC called Ashwood Strategies, which was founded in Delaware.
According to its own tax filing, the U.S. resolves to raise $1.1 million in 2023. In that document, it describes the $80,000 payment as a payment for fundraising and says Noem himself brought thousands of dollars ProPublica.
The ethics in the Government Act require senior federal employees to submit financial disclosure reports to identify and avoid potential financial conflicts of interest. Experts say Neum's disclosure failure may violate federal ethics requirements (AFP/Getty)
The U.S. is determined to give Norm's company 10% of the $800,000 it raised that year, the documents show.
The U.S. is determined to describe its online mission as a “fight to safeguard America for the next generation,” and reports that it has zero employees in its 2023 tax filing.
Apart from promoting Norm and her campaign, it’s unclear what the organization is doing. It regularly reposts the official account about DHS bosses on X with only 102 followers. The links on the profile will be used for web pages with a nonprofit logo, but no more information. Another link only results in donating pages.
independent Comments about payments have been contacted with Noem and DHS, and why her disclosure does not include $80,000 American Resolve payments.
In a statement shared with it ProPublica“The then-Governor Noem was fully abiding by the letter and spirit of the law,” said Trevor Stanley, the attorney for Noem, adding that the Government Ethics Office “analyzed her on the entity and cleared her financial information”.
Stanley did not answer further questions about whether OGE was particularly aware of the US's determination to pay.
Noem describes her company’s Ashwood strategy as “a personal activity beyond my formal governor’s ability.” She noted that the company received a $140,000 advance payment for her book “Not Looking Back.”
