1. United States
2. S.D.
3. Letter

I am writing to you today as a constituent and a proud South Dakotan who is deeply troubled by the conduct of our former Governor, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. I urge you to follow the example of Senators Thom Tillis and John Kennedy, who demonstrated genuine bipartisan courage during Tuesday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, and hold Secretary Noem fully accountable for her poor leadership, lack of accountability, and the misuse of American taxpayer dollars for her own self-promotion. The hearing, Secretary Noem's first before Congress since the deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, revealed a pattern of behavior that should alarm every American — and every South Dakotan. Three specific failures stand out and demand your action. First, a troubling refusal to take accountability for serious harm done to American families. In the immediate aftermath of the Minneapolis shootings, Secretary Noem publicly characterized the victims as engaged in "domestic terrorism" — a claim that has caused, in the words of Senator Adam Schiff, "endless injury to the victims' families." When pressed repeatedly by senators on both sides of the aisle to retract or apologize for that characterization, she refused to do so. She offered condolences but would not admit error, even as bystander video and investigations have pointed toward unjustified use of force. When Senator Peter Welch directly asked if she wanted to apologize to the families, she deflected and promised only to "work hard to give everybody factual information." That is not leadership — that is evasion. Second, Republican Senator Tillis himself called her leadership a "disaster." It is significant that the most forceful rebuke of Secretary Noem came not from Democrats, but from Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina. Senator Tillis raised his voice and asked plainly, "Why can't we just say we made a mistake?" He stressed that protecting law enforcement does not mean shielding it from accountability, and that the FBI and other agencies must be allowed to fully investigate shootings involving DHS officers. He then called for her resignation. Senator John Kennedy, another Republican, questioned her about taxpayer-funded self-promotion. These are not partisan attacks — they are the words of fellow Republicans who believe in honest governance. South Dakotans deserve that same honesty from our own delegation. Third, Secretary Noem has used taxpayer money to promote herself. Senator Kennedy questioned Secretary Noem at the hearing about a multi-million-dollar television ad campaign, funded by American taxpayers, that featured the Secretary herself prominently. This is a blatant misuse of public funds. Taxpayer dollars exist to serve the American people — not to advance the political brand of a cabinet secretary. This misappropriation warrants serious oversight and investigation, and I expect our South Dakota delegation to demand full transparency and accountability. South Dakota has long valued straight talk, personal responsibility, and sound stewardship of public resources. Secretary Noem, who served as our Governor, should be held to those very standards — and thus far, she has failed to meet them. I urge you to speak out, demand answers, support independent investigations into the Minneapolis shootings and the misuse of DHS funds, and make clear that no officeholder — regardless of party — is above accountability. The families of Renee Good and Alex Pretti deserve justice. American taxpayers deserve honest stewardship of their money. And the people of South Dakota deserve representatives who will put principle above party loyalty. I look forward to your response.