Former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — As then-Gov. Kristi Noem crisscrossed the country — stumping for President Donald Trump and boosting her political profile beyond her home state — she refused to reveal what her extensive travel was costing taxpayers.
In the weeks since Noem became Trump’s Homeland Security secretary, that mystery has been solved: South Dakota repeatedly picked up the tab for expenses related to her jet-setting campaigning.
An Associated Press analysis of recently released travel records found more than $150,000 in expenses tied to Noem’s political and personal activity and not South Dakota business. That included numerous trips to Palm Beach, Florida, where Trump resided before retaking office.
Most of those costs covered the state-provided security that accompanied Noem, irrespective of the reason for her travel. Over her six years as governor, AP’s analysis shows, South Dakota covered more than $640,000 in travel-related costs incurred by the governor’s office.
The expenditures include $7,555 in airfare for a six-day trip to Paris, where she gave a speech at a right-wing gathering, costs associated with a bear hunt in Canada with her niece and a book tour that included a stop in New York. An additional $2,200 stemmed from a controversial trip last year to Houston for dental work she showcased on Instagram.
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