Former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is barely doing the job President Donald Trump demoted her to, reported the Daily Mail on Thursday.
Noem was effectively fired from the Cabinet after months of bad press from immigration enforcement raids, and a disastrous congressional hearing in which she blamed Trump for a $200 million taxpayer-funded ad campaign that used her likeness. Trump moved her into the role of Special Envoy to the Shield of the Americas, a minimally important State Department role.
But she barely even seems to be doing that now, per the latest reports.
"Sources tell us at least four officials who followed Noem from the DHS to her new role as special envoy to the Shield of the Americas were placed on administrative leave," said the Daily Mail. "They include former deputy chief of staff Troup Hemenway, ex-deputy general counsel Giovanna Cinelli and junior staffers Josh King and Octavian Miller. Senior State Department officials told the Daily Mail that Noem held only one meeting this week, which was conducted virtually, as her remaining staff were either dispersed throughout the main State Department headquarters or working from home."
According to one State Department insider, "This post was intended as a soft landing so it didn't look like Noem was immediately being fired. But no one really thinks she should have this job. The State Department was not happy to have her here and the understanding is that she's not going to be here for much longer."
All of this comes amid explosive new reporting about Noem's husband being implicated in a bizarre fetish underground — adding yet more complexity to the details of Noem's personal life as she has been rumored, despite her denials, to be in a years-long romantic affair with senior adviser Corey Lewandowski.