Kristi Noem Has Nearly $1.1 Million Left in an Old Political Committee — And She Can Use It

Kristi Noem, the former secretary of homeland security, holds nearly $1.1 million in her old leadership PAC, according to a new disclosure filed with the Federal Election Commission.

This is significant because Noem, whom President Donald Trump ousted last month, still faces congressional and legal scrutiny for her management of Department of Homeland Security funds, with some Democrats accusing her of committing fraud.

By law, Noem could conceivably use money from her leadership PAC, called Keeping Republican Ideas Strong Timely & Inventive, to pay future legal fees. She could also use the money for most other lawful purposes, such as donating it to national, state or local political party committees, as well as federal, state or local candidates, according to federal law.

It’s not unusual for candidates to use leftover leadership PAC money for legal fees, with many preferring that route over creating a legal-defense fund. Trump’s leadership PAC, Save America, spent millions to cover his legal fees, for example.

“It’s just easier to continue raising money for it, rather than having to create a new legal defense fund, which would have to be approved — depending on if a person is a member of Congress, by the ethics committees,” said Brett Kappel, a campaign-finance and government-ethics lawyer. “If a person is a federal government employee, it has to be approved by the Office of Government Ethics. It’s a significant administrative burden to create a new legal defense fund when you could just continue raising money with your leadership PAC.”

A report by government watchdog organization Issue One likened leadership PACs to “slush funds” where “outlandish” expenditures, such as luxury travel, golf, club-membership dues and fine dining, is increasingly common.

Noem, who now serves as U.S. special envoy to the newly created Shield of the Americas organization, hasn’t paid any legal fees so far with funds in her leadership PAC.

During the first three months of this year, Noem’s leadership PAC donated $10,000 to the congressional campaign of Madison Sheahan, the former deputy director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Sheahan is running in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District in an attempt to unseat long-serving Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur. Other expenses include $915 to a commercial printer in Maryland for “direct mail storage.”

The leadership PAC has existed since 2011, when Noem was in her first year in Congress. She served four terms in the House before serving two terms as South Dakota’s governor.

The State Department and DHS did not return a request for comment.