Kristi Noem repudiates ridiculous infidelity claims, accuser seems less than forthright, and we’ve heard this kind of nonsense before

@SoDakCampaigns

From Twitter, Governor Kristi Noem responded to what I thought was the most outrageous attack on her to date:

If you had missed it, a writer at a hard-right website that most people hadn’t heard of made a ridiculous and unsourced accusation that Governor Kristi Noem was having an affair with advisor Corey Lewandowski.

What do you do with that?  I mean, really? Because it’s an attack as old as time against many female leaders that they must be sleeping with someone.  Because how could a woman get in that kind of position without using seduction.

The person making the accusation was interviewed by Dakota News Now, and he probably shouldn’t have gone on camera, because I don’t think he helped his credibility any. Because it seemed like he didn’t want to be there, and his eyes kept darting like he didn’t like being on the hot seat for a his story. You can watch the interview here, and tell me if he seemed at all honest.

You also have commentary from Maggie Seidel who left the Governor’s office, and clearly does not care much for Corey Lewandowski. And she’s right on the spot to call out this BS.

Former Noem staffer Maggie Seidel also denied the allegations. Seidel worked for Noem for roughly a year, and spent some time with her on the campaign trail as well.

“There is plenty to disagree with Governor Noem on,” Seidel said. “For one, I think it is outrageous for her to continue to associate with Corey Lewandowski. But do I believe for a second she stepped out her marriage? No, not for a second.”

Read that here.

It’s not like we haven’t seen this kind of crap before.  Turn the time machine back to 2006 when now US Senate wannabe Bruce Whalen was a Congressional wannabe, and he and his people claimed Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin was alternatively “pregnant by her chief of staff,” or a “homewrecker.”

Phony information on a Web site said Herseth was pregnant and engaged to her “chief of staff,” a man identified by a name that belongs to no one on the congresswoman’s staff. In an e-mail message sent to political Web logs, Whalen campaign manager Lee Breard highlighted the farce and also mentioned another rumor that implied Herseth was a “home-wrecker” because of her relationship with a former congressman from Texas.

and..

“He approached her and confronted her and said, ‘Is it true?'” Levsen said. “She said, ‘I can’t believe you’re asking that.’ And he asked again if it was true. And she said, ‘No, Bruce, it isn’t true.'”

and..

“The fact remains that they spread lies about Stephanie Herseth’s personal life on the Internet, followed it up with an implausible explanation and now Bruce Whalen is completely refusing to take responsibility for his campaign’s actions.”

Read the entire story here.

Those kind of accusations were ridiculous and offensive then, and they still are now.

US Senator John Thune had his take on that kind of nonsense in the 15 year old article, which holds true yet today:

Thune said such unwarranted gossip is one of the negatives in high-profile public service.

and..

“It’s frustrating, because there’s no way to refute. It’s not like you have a forum to bat this stuff down.”

Internet communications make the rumor mill even more powerful, and harmful, he said.

Read that here.

Good reminder that women don’t have to be sleeping with someone to be leaders and win elections. And shame on those who try to make the claim that they do.

30 thoughts on “Kristi Noem repudiates ridiculous infidelity claims, accuser seems less than forthright, and we’ve heard this kind of nonsense before”

  1. I believe Noem, especially with Corey’s behavior coming to light. I bet she didn’t push back at Corey as heavily as other women who are now coming out because she didn’t want to upset her access to Trump. This may have made the appearance that something was going on. She should have never been in the position where she had to put up with that crap to begin with but I won’t fault her for not rocking the boat. I’ll never fault any woman for that. I just hope she comes forward with what she knows now. It’s time for Corey to have his MeToo moment.

  2. It appears the long knives are out for Noem. Two days in a row in which Yoohoo had links to some bad headlines. Interestingly Yoohoo only said Noem “appeared” to deny the story. After reading the story it Noem vehemently denied the charges. Also, nobody on record is quoted. At this time it appears to be a nothing urgent to detail Noem’s possible role in a Trump run.

  3. Governor Kristi Noem knows and
    serves the Lord. These types of allegations
    do not merit air or press time!

    We have known Kristi when she was
    SD Snow Queen; as a US Representative;
    and now as Governor!

    We are proud to call her friend! She is a
    Godly woman and has a high degree of
    Integrity!

    2. 100% agree with Carl. Though the governor and I have not agreed on everything having to do with policy, I have know her for years and know her to be a Godly woman.

  4. I am not convinced it is not true, considering her latest scandal with the real estate license. The roomer of Noem and Lewandowski has been circulating for a while now, long before this story broke.

    1. “roomer”? Seriously?

      Also, there isn’t any “scandal” with a real estate license, the story is about her daughter trying to obtain an appraiser’s license.

      You should really proofread and think before you post.

      1. The scandal is the daughter failed the test and mommy pushed the licensing person to issue the license. Then, she forced her to retire. Funny how anyone from the same office asked stated that she never mentioned wanting to retire.

      2. Yeah, 200k to keep a former employee quiet about her abuse of power isn’t a scandal. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.

  5. I’m not a fan of the Governor – because I don’t think she’s good at her job.
    But –
    This has nothing to do with her job.
    IF this was true, and that is a big IF, it wouldn’t be anyone’s business except Her, Her Husband, Lewandowski, his wife, and their respective kids.

    1. If true, she can quit with the Christian charade. I don’t think it is true, but if you want to promote Christian family values, then you better live up to it or expect a healthy amount of criticism.

      1. Noem often puts on a facade with her image, you start pealing away the layers and she is not whom she tries to make herself out to be.

    1. Honestly, I wasn’t going to give this bullshit story any space. But when Kristi came out and slammed it on Twitter, I thought it was worth bringing up, and pointing out that it’s a pretty rotten thing that’s done with a number of women candidates.

      It was repugnant when it was done to Herseth by team Whalen fifteen years ago. It is repugnant now that it’s being done to Kristi Noem.

      It’s not a Republican thing or a Democrat thing. It’s an awful thing. Period. And it needs to stop.

  7. Noem needs to publicly fire/ distance herself from Lewandowski

    He was fired by Trump for his behavior.

    His behavior is reprehensible and she needs to not be associated with him in that fashion.

  8. People need to stop lumping the Appraiser/Child issue together with this. She was dead wrong on the appraiser issue and, at the very least, made terrible decisions regarding that meeting. But now people are attempting to shoehorn that into this issue, and that is bs. There is no proof such an affair ever happened. None. I assume the latter is just a smear attempt because it comes with ZERO evidence. Finally, people need to mind their own genitals. Seriously.

  9. It appears that Governor Noem has succeeded in striking fear into the hearts of anti-American socialists, anarchists and even the lunatic fringe of the far right. They have failed to get any real traction on any complaints against her policies and accomplishments so they are creating false outrageous vile stories to grab whatever media attention they can conjure up.

    Rock on, Governor Noem. Stay on that course that you charted even before the pandemic to show the other 49 how a state should be governed and freedom is defended. Your detractors from right or left are deceivers. Evil’s only weapon is deception.

        1. Unfortunately for you gutless Anonymous self-anointed narcissists I am alive and well. But please do continue to amuse yourselves. I’m sure you crack you up.

  11. Every year, I teach my U.S. History students a lesson on media literacy. I start the lesson with this…

    “60% of all stuff on the Internet is made up.”
    – Abraham Lincoln

  12. All of this stuff aside, there is one big overarching issue. I know a lot of very, very conservative people who were once 100% team Noem and are no longer in that camp. Is the media to blame? Partially, yes. But at the end of the day, it falls on the shoulders of our Governor. At this point, there is a legitimate concern that a well respected democrat could oust her. Regardless of the reasoning, this is something that she has to fix.

  14. I have never figured out how a woman with a demanding career, husband, children and grandchildren, and aging parents, can manage to find time to have an affair.
    All I ever wanted was to get some sleep.
    Consequently I have never believed any of these stories, and upon learning it was true about one of my supervisors, I was impressed.

  15. Dugger is right. Someone has knives out for the Governor, knives I’ve seen at almost every politician the last 40 years. Never any facts, never even any smoke. Just throw it out there among other false charges/half truths and hope they together creates negative impression/perception or a shadow of doubt. And, part of me wants to say what I’d say to a male politician: Buck up it is just part of the territory. Tell your kids to just ignore it.

    However, there is something especially insidious because the Governor is a female. These types of charges have a chilling effect on the careers of women, whether they be in politics or business. For example:

    1) Two on-the-road colleagues of the same gender can have commiserate at dinner, in a bar, and even go to each others rooms and watch sports/movie.

    2) Two on-the-road colleagues of different genders prudently not don’t go to dinner together without others, don’t go to a bar together, and get rooms on different floors.

    If the opposite gender colleagues are equals, it is what it is. But, if the boss is a man and the subordinate is a female, it takes away the fraternal opportunities to deepen camaraderie a subordinate gets with a same gender boss. In essence, giving these charges air is fostering a form of discrimination.

    One other point on how anti-woman this is. Being successful in politics includes the ability to develop relationships where ideas and the such can be exchanged freely. Are women politicians only to have female relationships when the vast majority of their peers are men? Talk about creating “boxes” which diminish women’s ability to succeed.

    P.S. How many people are going to believe a real life “Beauty and the Beast” story? Really? if they are going to make up something, they could have at least “paired” her up with someone just reasonably attractive.

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