This article was originally published on Conservative Brief. You can read the original article HERE
OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem got a brutal wake-up call during an interview with Newsmax TV on Tuesday regarding her chances at being named former President Donald Trump’s running mate following a revelation in her upcoming book that she shot and killed a family dog that developed a habit of attacking livestock and people.
Newsmax host Rob Finnerty told Noem that because of the story, which has drawn widespread condemnation from both the right and the left, he felt like she was no longer in consideration.
“Noem’s new memoir ‘No Going Back’ has sparked several controversies over its content, including an anecdote about Noem killing her 14-month-old dog and a story about the governor ‘staring down’ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during a meeting that allegedly never took place,” Mediaite reported.
During the interview, Finnerty declared, “I think part of the problem with politics today is that politicians aren’t honest with the American people.”
“That’s true, I agree,” said Noem, who was in-studio.
Advertisement
“Governor, if you asked me a month ago who’s at the top of the list to run with Donald Trump, I would have said your name. If you asked me that same question this morning, I don’t even think you’re on the list,” Finnerty then said.
“Really? And why is that?” asked Noem.
“Yes, really, and it’s because of things that have come out in this book, like your claims that you met Kim Jong-un,” he went on. After reading the quote from her book, he asked, “Governor, that never happened, did it?”
“I should not have put that anecdote in the book,” Noem responded, leading Finnerty to fire back, “But an anecdote indicates that it happened, right?”
“I’m not going to talk about my conversations with world leaders,” Noem said in response, a statement she has repeatedly made when pressed about whether she met the North Korean dictator.
“Governor, I’m not asking you about the details of this alleged meeting,” Finnerty shot back. “I’m asking if the meeting happened. I don’t think it did, and I think if it did, you’d be able to confirm for me that, ‘Yes, it did, and here’s when it happened.’ It happened, say, at such and such a date or a month, or you don’t have to be specific.”
After the governor refused again to say definitively whether or not the meeting happened, Finnerty responded, “Again, I think at one point you were at the top of that list, but you’re going to get questions a lot more difficult than that.”
According to her forthcoming book, the full title of which is, “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward,” Noem detailed the decision to shoot Cricket, her 14-month-old wirehair pointer, citing concerns about its purportedly aggressive demeanor and unsuitability as a hunting dog. Additionally, she recounted shooting and killing a family goat after it chased down her children.
Noem defended her decision to kill Cricket due to South Dakota’s law allowing owners to put down dogs who “attack and kill livestock,” according to The Guardian. The dog, adopted to hunt pheasants, allegedly killed a family’s chickens by “grabb[ing] one chicken at a time, crunching it to death with one bite, then dropping it to attack another.”
“Whether running the ranch or in politics, I have never passed on my responsibilities to anyone else to handle,” Noem said. “Even if it’s hard and painful. I followed the law and was a responsible parent, dog owner, and neighbor. As I explained in the book, it wasn’t easy. But often the easy way isn’t the right way.”
Reports following the revelation claimed that Trump was “disgusted” by her killing of the dog and that she would no longer be considered as a running mate.
Advertisement
This article was originally published by Conservative Brief. We only curate news from sources that align with the core values of our intended conservative audience. If you like the news you read here we encourage you to utilize the original sources for even more great news and opinions you can trust!
Comments