ICE Barbie Kristi Noem has given a prickly response after it was revealed that she is living rent-free in a plush apartment usually reserved for top Coast Guard officials.
The Department of Homeland Security secretary responded to a Washington Post exposé that revealed that she is temporarily residing at Quarters 1, a residence at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C.
Speaking on Fox News Monday, she claimed that she had to move into the residence designated for the Coast Guard commandant because of the media. The host, Sean Hannity, said he understood that Noem and her family were forced to move because of “threats against your life” and because of doxxing by the media.
Noem ignored the bit about her life being in danger and responded: “Temporarily. I still pay rent at an apartment in Navy Yard, but had to leave there because the media put my address, my apartment, the logistics, where the windows were, and details out to the public and the threats were so much that, temporarily, I had to stay somewhere else,” she said.
British tabloid The Daily Mail first published photos near her residence in Navy Yard, before the Washington Post “did it again,” according to Noem.
“That’s really the carelessness and the thoughtlessness and the heartlessness that the media operates in right now,” she added.
Noem also managed to squeeze in a dig at her political opponents. “We’re living in times where the socialists and Hakeem Jeffries are supporting criminals and illegals and prioritizing them over Americans, and I will continue to get up every day and fight for President Trump’s policies because they put Americans first,” she ranted.
The aforementioned Washington Post piece cited officials familiar with the matter who said that Noem’s special arrangement has “raised concern within the [Coast Guard] agency.”
One bone of contention is the fact that other Cabinet secretaries, from both Trump administrations, who have availed themselves of similar arrangements have paid, the Post reported.
Democrats have also moaned that it is a waste of resources. “What are the optics?” said Cynthia Brown, senior ethics counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in D.C., a left-leaning nonprofit.
“And is this taking advantage of your individual position as a government official to benefit unduly?”
Noem, who in her position as DHS chief supervises the Coast Guard, risks creating the illusion that she is cashing in on her position. Current and retired Coast Guard officials have raised their eyebrows at the situation, especially given the lack of housing for high-ranking agency staff.
Former and current officials are also rankled by Noem’s frequent use of the Coast Guard Gulfstream aircraft, the Post reported. She is, however, allowed to use it for both personal and professional matters. Rules require the secretary to reimburse the government when she uses it for personal matters.
A DHS spokesperson previously defended Noem’s living arrangement, saying it came about because she was “so horribly doxxed and targeted that she is no longer able to safely live in her own apartment.”
The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment by the Daily Beast.
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