In a murderous rage and in cold blood, Noem executed by shotgun, in succession, a 14-month-old puppy (Cricket), then a Billy goat (unnamed). She writes a detailed gruesome account in her 2024 book, ‘No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward.’ 

HER words from HER book:

“I hated that dog.” 
“Untrainable.” 
“Dangerous to anyone she came in contact with.” 
“Less than worthless...as a hunting dog.” 
“At that moment, I realized I had to put her down.”

 

 

 

 

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem was 'the picture of pure joy' when she killed this bird.
 
Noem embarked that day with a hunting party to shoot pheasant. She claims Cricket was unruly and “ruined the hunting trip.” She was “going out of her mind with excitement chasing all those birds and having the time of her life.” She said she took Cricket along with other older dogs to “train her and teach her how to behave.”

Not satisfied with her behavior, she forced an electronic collar on Cricket to “bring her under control.” She throws her into the back of her pickup after the hunt and stopped at a neighbor’s house. Cricket “escaped” the truck and allegedly attacked the family’s chickens. “Grabbing one chicken at a time crunching it to death with one bite, then dropping it to attack another.” “She behaved like a trained assassin.” Then she claims when she grabbed Cricket, she, “whipped around to bite me.” She then says she paid the neighbors for the dead chickens and “...helped them dispose of the carcasses littering the scene of the crime.” “Through it all, Cricket was the picture of pure joy.”

 

 

 

Noem threw Cricket into a gravel pit on her farm and shot the no doubt terrified puppy to death. She wasn’t done killing that day, next she set her sights on a goat. 

“It was not a pleasant job, but it had to be done. And after it was over, I realized another unpleasant job needed to be done.”

Noem “dragged” the goat who resided on her farm to the same gravel pit where she had just murdered Cricket. She tied him to a post assuring he would not escape. She says the goat jumped as she shot at him and presumably was wounded. “My shot was off and I needed one more shell to finish the job.” Noem trudged back to her truck to retrieve another shotgun shell. She says she, “hurried back to the gravel pit and put him down.”

 

 

 

The goat’s ‘crimes’ and his need to die according to Noem: “he was nasty and mean; he smelled disgusting, musky, rancid.” He loved to ‘chase her children, knock them down and ruin their clothes.’

After her murderous rampage she spotted a construction crew whom she said witnessed her kill both animals and the startled crew quickly got back to work. Then the school bus arrived and dropped off her kids. She says this of her daughter: “Kennedy looked around confused,” and asked, “Hey where’s Cricket?”

It should be duly noted that her accounts of killing both animals were supposed to be in her first book, but her publishing team or editor strongly advised against it. For this new book she was determined to proudly tell this story, to brag about and to normalize it.

She apparently did not expect the extreme backlash and repulsion of not only animal advocates but also the general public, celebrity dog lovers and politicians on both sides of the aisle.

Newt Gingrich, former Republican Speaker of the House, said this, “Killing the dog then writing about it ended any possibility of her being picked.” [As Donald Trump’s Vice-Presidential running mate.]

Indeed, she was dropped as a serious contender for the job but now has been nominated for another powerful job, (apparently six months is adequate time for the public to forget the firestorm ignited by Noem's puppy killing disclosures) Department of Homeland Security Secretary.

Rolling Stone (TRUMP 'DISGUSTED' BY KRISTI NOEM'S PUPPY EXECUTION STORY, By Asawin Suebsaeng, Andrew Perez, May 3, 2024) says: "In recent days, the former president [President Elect Donald J. Trump] has discussed or brought up Noem's pup-execution in closed-door meetings, as well as over the phone. Trump, sources recount, has pointedly asked questions regarding her decision to kill the dog, including specifically, "Why would she do that?" and "What is wrong with her?" He has expressed bewilderment that she would have ever admitted to doing this, willingly and in her own writing, and has argued it demonstrates she has a poor grasp of "public relations." In these various conversations over the past week, the ex-president has also mentioned that voters generally don't like politicians who kill dogs, two of the people familiar with the matter add."

Conservative political pundit, Tomi Lahren commented: “This story is not landing. It is not a facet of rural life or ranching to shoot dogs.”

 HER JUSTIFICATIONS, DENIALS, OUTRIGHT LIES

 “You know how the fake news works, they leave out some or most of the facts of a story, they put the worst spin on it. And that’s what happen in this case.” (In a Fox interview.)

This is a ridiculous argument given the fact that she herself described the killings in her own book. She feigns outrage and accused the media of misconstruing her own words.

 “I hope people really do buy this book and they find out the truth that this was a working dog and it was not a puppy. It was a dog that was extremely dangerous.”

 Noem described Cricket as a Wirehaired Pointer, about 14 months old with an “aggressive personality” who “needed to be trained to be used for hunting pheasant.”

 FACT: Wirehaired Pointers are medium to large dogs who leave puppyhood at about 12 – 18 months although they are still growing and developing until two years old. At 14 months, that certainly qualifies Cricket as a puppy. They have a lifespan of 13 years, but Noem decided she lived long enough. Essentially, she killed Cricket for being a curious, boisterous puppy...as all puppies are.

 In the adolescence stage dogs may exhibit more challenging behaviors as hormones fluctuate. This breed’s attributes and temperament include being:

• loyal and affectionate
• energetic
• intelligent and eager to please
• good with children/other animals
• wary of strangers
• easily distracted; can become bored, noisy or destructive if they don’t receive enough attention
• they need to live in a house.

Nowhere in this breed’s description are they defined as “aggressive.” 

Noem deliberately lies about Cricket and paints her as a full-grown vicious dog who “deserved her fate.”

Desperate, she uses the “mom” angle. To Fox News: “You know, that story was a choice as a mom. The safety of my children versus a dangerous dog that was killing livestock and attacking people.”

The truth is her children, at least on the day of the murders, were not in imminent danger. They were in school.

Margaret Brennan asks Noem in an interview why she killed the goat, how she justifies it, and how the goat was a threat. Brennan says, “I’m asking you this because it seems like you're celebrating the killing of animals.”

 Noem responds: “These animals were attacking. We live on a farm and a ranch and... tough decisions are made many times, and it is – it is to protect people.”

So Noem knowingly took a dangerous dog on a hunting outing with other people and other dogs? She wasn’t thinking about protecting them? Her account of her daughter asking where Cricket was points to her diabolical lies. If the dog was that dangerous why was the dog allowed to live amongst her young children, at the time. Her daughter didn’t say, ‘Mom I am so terrified of Cricket, where is he so I can run from him.’ Most likely Kennedy was eager to see her puppy...ALIVE.

The TRUTH is, she conjured up all of these lies to explain her psychotic bent. These animals clearly were never a threat to anyone, least of all Cricket, who lived with them.

Please imagine the corrosive mind of someone that kills two animals that were simply annoying to her. Her blind hatred speaks volumes. Noem is unbalanced.

 When the “Mom” excuse didn’t work she tried using the Law: “The fact is, South Dakota law states that, dogs who attack and kill livestock can be put down. Given that Cricket had shown aggressive behavior towards people by biting them, I decided what I did.”

 *Note: According to S.D. legislature livestock means cattle, sheep, horses, mules, swine, goats, and buffalo. Noem was actually in violation of the law.

We can surmise from the woeful veracity of all her statements defending her actions that Noem simply was annoyed at Cricket and embarrassed in front of her hunting party, possibly. She most likely was rough with Cricket and Cricket could have tried to defend herself. She never says what other people Cricket bit. She condemns Cricket based on her assumption that Cricket could bite other people. She doesn’t offer any evidence that she ever bit anyone, just Noem’s account that “she tried to bite me.” We can surmise that since she indeed murdered Cricket that she also abused her prior to the murder.

 
OTHER DISTURBING LIES/QUESTIONABLE LEADERSHIP ABILITIES/NARCISSISM  
She blatantly invented stories in her book about meeting world leaders such as Kim Jong Un. It is important to note that she doesn’t just say she met him but conjures up a false narrative. “I remember when I met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. I’m sure he underestimated me, having no clue about my experience staring down little tyrants (I’d been a children’s pastor, after all).”

 Her spokesperson said the story shouldn’t have been included [in her book] and that it would be removed before it was published, according to Newsweek.

She also claimed she had a scheduled meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron but said she declined after she thought he made “a very pro-Hamas and anti-Israel comment to the press.” 
Her claim was debunked by Elysee Palace. There was never any meeting set up with Noem.

According to Newsweek, she is banned from the lands of all nine of South Dakota Native American tribes for her accusations of drug cartels on their lands. Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out told the AP that, “Our people are being used for her political gain.”

Noem has unprecedented staff turnover and has gone through five chiefs of staff in the past 5 years. Lee Schoenbeck, South Dakota President Pro Tempore said, “The governor made some statements last year that she attributed to me that I thought were not accurate, so I find it more comfortable just to not talk to her.”

South Dakota News Watch writer, Stu Whitney: “...in Noem’s administration, highlighted by a revolving door of key personnel, a dearth of political allies and as much attention to national interests as day-to-day operations in Pierre, keeping one’s distance has become the norm.”

State Rep Aaron Aylward, “I’m not sure who’s advising her, but no matter what the issue is, it’s always somebody else’s fault.” “It would help if she wasn’t always the victim and actually owned up to mistakes she’s made.”

South Dakota Senator Reynold F. Nesiba, “Gov. Noem has benefited from the COVID crisis and the tens of billions of dollars that came from the Trump and Biden administrations to states across the country that made her look good.” “That part of her legacy is a false legacy. It wasn’t a result of her policy decisions. It was merely a matter of being in the right place at the right time. 
 
 DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR/BIZARRE ARROGANCE

 “I’m tired of politicians pretending to be what they’re not.” 
“As I explained in the book, it wasn’t easy. But often the easy way isn’t the right way.”

The right way would have been to rehome the puppy and send the goat to a sanctuary.

 According to Noem she will do anything, “difficult, messy and ugly” if it needs to be done.

 “Dealing with foreign leaders takes resolve, preparation, and determination.”

Braggadocios comment about her fake meeting with Kim Jong Un.

 “Americans want leaders who are authentic.”

There isn’t anything ‘authentic' about killing defenseless animals. We don't want leaders who kill innocent puppies or any other animals.

Noem dares to compare murdering animals with toughness and leadership abilities. She claims to be a “doer” not an “avoider.” “The moral is that leaders deal with problems immediately.”

Leaders should deal with actual problems with intelligence, critical thinking skills, and a calm demeanor... not rash emotional rage. The puppy and the goat were not problems. Nome isn’t tough. She’s a coward.

 “My first priority is the safety and security of the American people.”

How can Noem be entrusted to keep millions of people safe when she, according to her, brought a dog along on a hunting trip with other people and other animals who was “extremely dangerous?”

 In her new book she titles a chapter, “Bad Day to be a Goat.” In this chapter she describes how she shot the goat. The naming of this chapter most definitely mocks the goat. It is an example of bizarre arrogance.

 In her book she also mocks and pokes fun at Cricket’s death (murder) while issuing a twisted directive or absurd threat to President Biden’s dog, Commander. “Commander, say hello to Cricket.”

This is abysmal behavior bordering on insane behavior.

 She recently snarkily held up a Guardian newspaper (who were the first to publish her animal killing excerpts from her book) and declared that “she put down three horses.”

 In an earlier statement she tries for faux compassion: “...but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm. Sadly, we just had to put down three horses a few weeks ago that had been on our farm for 25 years.

To Sean Hannity on his show, Hannity: "The reason it's in the book is because this book is filled with tough, challenging decisions that I had to make throughout my life."

Department of Homeland Security Oversees 230,000 employees/60 billion budget

• Customs
• Border/Immigration Enforcements
• Response to natural/man-made disasters
• Anti-terrorism
• Cyber Security
• Secret Service

Noem, as Governor of South Dakota, a state with less than one million people, oversees 7,373 executive branch employees and has a state budget of 7.3 billion. 
Is this the person that is qualified for Secretary of D.H.S.?

Noem’s history of repeated staff turnover, her reputation of being demanding, her lack of transparency towards her own staff and constituents, her paradigm of behavior induced to prop up her political standing and personal gain, her fictious meetings with foreign leaders, her arrogance, her narcissism and her explosive temper (and temperament) should in itself be a disqualifier alone. Add the self-righteousness and belief that she has carte blanche to kill any animal she chooses without consequence because she believes she is exempt by being a farmer and a rancher and the answer to the qualification question is a resounding no!

Noem built her family business from killing animals. She runs (or ran) a hunting lodge hosting hunting trips for bloodthirsty folks who enjoy taking the life out of almost 40 species that are legal to hunt in South Dakota. This mentality is violence personified, regardless of how she tries to spin it. The use of euphemisms such as harvesting to describe the “hunting” of animals is equivocation. In reality it is just garden variety murder.

 We won’t ever know how many animals Noem has killed over the years but the “acceptable” ones to society, such as pheasant (the 270,000 registered hunters in S.D. kill over one million pheasant annually) perhaps gave her a false confidence that she could get away with the story she told in her 2024 book about the sad fate of an innocent puppy and an innocent goat.

 Even amidst the outrage when this came to light several months ago, she doubles down and defends herself – never showing an ounce of remorse. In fact, she has the unmitigated gall to say, “We love animals.” Killing animals is a strange way to show love. Isn’t it?

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem lacks mercy, morality, decency, judgement, normalcy, and humanity. 

She lacks the Requisite Character to be named to such a powerful position as Secretary of Department of Homeland Security.

 We the people have a right to protest someone who is disingenuous and a proven liar.

 Please sign and share this petition. ***This petition is Time Sensitive. If we do not acquire enough signatures in time (before the Senate Confirmation Hearing on all nominees) we will send this petition/letter directly to the new Senate Majority Leader, John Thune and all 100 Senators.

To send comments to U.S. Senator John Thune

WASHINGTON

Senator John Thune, United States Senate SD-511

Washington, DC 20510

Phone: (202) 224-2321

Fax: (202 228-5429

Toll-Free: 1-866-850-3855

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