Kristi Noem, now the head of the US Department of Homeland Security, is under the spotlight after reports revealed she received $80,000 from an anonymous donor while still serving as governor of South Dakota — and never declared it.
According to an investigation by ProPublica, the money came via a nonprofit called American Resolve Policy Fund, a so-called dark money group that isn’t legally required to reveal its donors. The payment was made in 2023 and sent straight to Noem’s company, Ashwood Strategies, which is incorporated in Delaware.
At the time, Noem was earning a government salary of $130,000, so the added $80,000 was a significant top-up. The problem is, when she took up her federal role and filed her official financial disclosures, the payment was nowhere to be seen.
Experts are calling this a potential breach of federal ethics rules. Under the Ethics in Government Act, high-ranking officials are required to file detailed financial disclosures to prevent conflicts of interest. Failing to do so could result in fines, referrals to the Attorney General, or even further disciplinary action.
“If donors to these nonprofits are not just holding the keys to an elected official’s political future but also providing them with their income, that’s new and disturbing,” said Daniel Weiner, a former attorney at the Federal Election Commission, speaking to ProPublica.
American Resolve, the nonprofit behind the funds, raised about $1.1 million in 2023 and listed the $80,000 payout as compensation for fundraising. Documents claim Noem helped raise large sums for the organisation, with her cut reportedly being 10 percent of an $800,000 haul.
But what American Resolve actually does remains a bit of a mystery. Its website isn’t particularly revealing, and its social media footprint is almost non-existent, with just over 100 followers and a donation link that leads nowhere informative. Despite its mission statement of “fighting to preserve America for the next generation,” it reported having no employees on its latest tax filings.
In response to the scrutiny, Noem’s lawyer Trevor Stanley said she had “fully complied with the letter and the spirit of the law” and that the Office of Government Ethics had reviewed and cleared her disclosures. However, he didn’t clarify whether the OGE was specifically aware of the $80,000 payment from American Resolve.
Noem has described Ashwood Strategies as a vehicle for “personal activities outside my official gubernatorial capacity.” She also stated the company received $140,000 as an advance for her book No Going Back, which she did include in her disclosures.
What raised eyebrows is the fact that despite her legal team’s insistence that everything’s above board, the payment wasn’t explicitly listed, and American Resolve’s vague structure isn’t helping her case. The Independent reached out to both Noem and the Department of Homeland Security for further comment, but so far, there’s been no word back.
With Washington already buzzing over ethics scandals and dark money influence, this one’s not likely to fade away quietly.