The downfall of former Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem began nearly instantly after she was confirmed to the place final yr, when she authorised a $220 million anti-immigration promoting marketing campaign at taxpayer expense.
She shortly awarded no-bid contracts value hundreds of thousands of {dollars} to her conservative cronies, based on a congressional investigation and Noem critics, together with one firm that was created simply days earlier than it acquired one in all two contracts awarded for the industrial.
Throughout congressional testimony earlier this month, Noem informed lawmakers President Donald Trump had authorised the most costly authorities advert marketing campaign prior to now decade, apart from COVID-19 and army recruitment, which Trump shortly denied earlier than publicly firing her on social media.
The mega dear advert on the heart of all of the mayhem stars Noem using a horse dressed up like a cowgirl in full make-up in entrance of Mt. Rushmore, and what’s fueling much more criticism is the truth that she gave herself a $60,000 signing bonus in addition, lawmakers mentioned on March 23, based on The Hill.
Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Peter Welch of Vermont launched a corruption probe into the marketing campaign, revealing, along with Noem’s signing bonus, that 1000’s of taxpayer {dollars} have been spent on hair, make-up, and horse leases to make the industrial that urged individuals within the nation illegally to self-deport.
Blumenthal and Welch, earlier this month three days after Noem’s March 3 congressional testimony, launched new particulars on the three firms concerned within the advert marketing campaign, together with Folks Who Suppose LLC and Protected America Media LLC, which was integrated only a week earlier than receiving $143 million no-bid contract from Noem’s DHS, and which in flip subcontracted The Technique Group Firm to make the advert.
“Among the corporations concerned have deep ties to Secretary Noem and her interior circle, the lawmakers wrote in an announcement on the time, earlier than detailing that Folks Who Suppose acquired a separate $77 million non-competitive contract for a similar advert marketing campaign.
Two of the businesses have intensive ties to Trump. Protected America Media’s GOP strategists Mike McElwain and Patrick McCarthy, who run the corporate, did media work for Trump’s 2024 presidential marketing campaign, Politico reported.
The man who co-founded Folks Who Suppose, Jay Connaughton, labored with Trump’s 2016 presidential marketing campaign and different Republicans, based on Politico.
The retailers additionally reported that Protected America Media acquired over $15 million and Folks Who Suppose $7.7 million in commissions, for a complete of greater than $23 million between the 2. This implies the 2 firms acquired hundreds of thousands of {dollars} for doing nothing.
In the meantime, The Technique Group’s CEO Ben Yoho is married to Noem’s shut good friend and DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, who helped on Noem’s 2022 gubernatorial marketing campaign, and has additionally labored with Noem’s former prime staffer Corey Lewandowski.
In a submit on X earlier this month, the corporate said, “Protected America paid us $226,137.17 complete for five movie shoots, 45 produced video ads, and 6 produced radio ads,” which raises the query of the place the remaining $219,773,862.83 is.
“This appears to be like like waste, fraud, and abuse to me,” Welch mentioned in an announcement launched Monday, March 23.
“Whereas main the Division of Homeland Safety, Kristi Noem and her senior crew allowed tens of 1000’s of taxpayer {dollars} to be spent on wasteful manufacturing prices, a shady signing bonus, and a really costly horse rental—and that’s simply what we all know thus far,” he continued.
Blumenthal additionally weighed in. “This absurd waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer funds is totally unacceptable. I’ll proceed to demand the solutions the American individuals deserve about how these funds have been used and whether or not any federal officers profited from DHS contracts.”
