South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is blaming sexism for a report from a conservative outlet that she is having an affair with former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.
The report from Pedro Gonzalez in American Greatness alleges that multiple sources said that the affair has been going on for months and is an "open secret" in their circles.
The governor and married mother of three said that the report is "total garbage and a disgusting lie."
"These rumors are total garbage and a disgusting lie," Noem tweeted. "These old, tired attacks on conservative women are based on a falsehood that we can't achieve anything without a man's help. I love Bryon. I'm proud of the God-fearing family we've raised together. Now I'm getting back to work." These rumors are total garbage and a disgusting lie. These old, tired attacks on conservative women are based on a falsehood that we can't achieve anything without a man's help.
I love Bryon. I'm proud of the God-fearing family we've raised together. Now I'm getting back to work
— Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) September 29, 2021
Noem did not link to the report or explain the "rumor" that she was addressing.
Gonzalez responded by quote tweeting the governor and asking "which rumors" she was addressing, before listing some of the other scandals she has been facing. Hi Noem, please tag me next time.
Which rumors? That you caved to Amazon, the chamber of commerce, and the NCAA on a transgender sports bill? That you used your office to strong-arm and force a woman to retire to get your daughter a job? Or the allegations about Lewandowski? https://t.co/IMKaSZi4lc
— Pedro L. Gonzalez (@emeriticus) September 29, 2021
"Which rumors? That you caved to Amazon, the chamber of commerce, and the NCAA on a transgender sports bill? That you used your office to strong-arm and force a woman to retire to get your daughter a job? Or the allegations about Lewandowski?" Gonzalez asked.
Noem's name has been frequently floated as a possible 2024 running mate for Trump, particularly within his inner circle — according to the American Greatness report.“There are members of Congress close to Mar-a-Lago who have called the affair ‘an open secret’ and worried that about Noem’s viability as a national candidate and within the movement,” an unnamed source told American Greatness.
Noem has been blasted by many Republicans for vetoing a bill that would have banned biological males from competing in women’s sports and refusing to prevent private companies from imposing vaccine mandates on employees.
Gonzalez, a frequent guest on Tucker Carlson Tonight, concluded his report by saying, "Noem wears the skin of a principled politician to deflect criticism and thus tarnishes what it actually means to be one. She preaches virtue yet has proven utterly venal. Noem appeals to constitutional fidelity to excuse inaction and graft but has no such fidelity herself. To understand why political cynicism abounds, look to the likes of the governor of the Mount Rushmore State."
