The notorious puppy-killing tinpot governor Kristi Noem is back in the dog house for claiming she met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un while serving in Congress.
In “No Going Back,” the book that earned her the title of puppy killer, Noem spins the tale like this:
“Through my tenure on the House Armed Services Committee,” she wrote, “I had the chance to travel to many countries to meet with world leaders. I remember when I met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. I’m sure he underestimated me, having no clue about my experience staring down little tyrants (I’d been a children’s pastor, after all). Dealing with foreign leaders takes resolve, preparation and determination. My experiences on those many foreign trips made me a better member of Congress and a stronger governor. It allowed me to hone my deal-making skills, which play a crucial role in leadership.”
A South Dakota publication called The Dakota Scout did the fact checking and declared the claim “nearly impossible.” The only part of this that checks out is Kim “having no clue about” Noem — because they never met.
Noem served on the House Armed Services Committee from 2013-2015. During that period, committee members including Noem visited China in 2014. But there is no record of Kim being in China then. Not even President Barack Obama had met with the dictator.
Noem’s spokesman, Ian Fury, seemed to concede that the Kim story was false, telling Politico, somewhat cryptically, “We’ve been made aware that the publisher will be addressing conflated world leaders’ names in the book before it is released.”
Noem also included a whopper about a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
There are documented accounts of a trip to Paris, France, in which the tinpot governor Noem was attending a political conference.
Noem spoke at the conference on Friday, Nov. 10, the same day that Macron called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
“While in Paris, I was slated to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron,” Noem writes. “However, the day before we were to meet he made what I considered a very pro-Hamas and anti-Israel comment to the press. So, I decided to cancel. There is no place for pro-Hamas rhetoric.”
Macron’s office confirmed that Noem did not receive a direct invitation, but considered that Noem may have been scheduled to attend an event where Macron was also scheduled.