Kristi Noem has apparently sided with shoes over safety.
The Department of Homeland Security secretary reportedly spent months ignoring findings that her move to allow flight passengers to keep their shoes on while passing through airport screening checkpoints created “significant” security risks, according to a letter from the inspector general obtained by the Wall Street Journal.
The agency’s watchdog found that most of the TSA full-body scanners can’t scan shoes, creating a grave gap in security screenings, sources told the Journal. But in response, Noem’s office merely assigned a higher classification level to the findings to prevent them from becoming public, sources told the Journal.
In a letter addressed to congressional committees, the inspector alleged that both DHS and TSA have ignored the issue, despite being required by law to address it by Jan. 30. The inspector general further claimed that Noem’s office has been aware of the issue since August 26—just a month after she announced the policy change. White House officials are also aware of the security risk, the Journal reported.
Noem, 54, declared the longstanding shoes-off policy void at a press conference on July 8. At the time, the former South Dakota governor said DHS was “fully confident” that there can be adequate screenings without passengers removing their shoes.
“We are excited with the fact that we have the technology now that we have the multi layers of screening in place that we’ve built in over the recent several years, they give us the ability to allow our travelers to keep their shoes on,” she said during the conference.
The Daily Beast has reached out to TSA and DHS for comment. A spokesperson for DHS denied that Noem had ignored the findings, according to the Journal.
The long-loathed shoes-off policy was enacted almost two decades ago after “shoe bomber” Richard Reid tried to detonate explosives hidden in his shoes on a flight from Paris to Miami. Noem’s decision to remove the mandate has been seen as her most popular initiative to date—underscoring a broader trend of her prioritizing her public image over managing her own department, sources told the Journal.
Noem, nicknamed “ICE Barbie” for her love of cosplaying various uniformed roles, has faced several plane-related controversies this week. The secretary reportedly drew the ire of fellow Trump officials after proposing the use of deportation funds to purchase a $70 million luxury jet the department is already using.
While her department has been partially shut down, Noem has been seeking approval to buy a lavish Boeing 737 equipped with a queen-sized bed, kitchen, bar, and four flat-screen televisions.
The jet is already being used to shepherd Noem and her alleged lover Corey Lewandowski around the country, despite her department’s claims that it would be used for deportations.
If the purchase goes through, the Boeing 737 would join DHS’ existing fleet of luxury aircraft. The department purchased two Gulfstream G700s for $172 million last October, raising questions among Democratic lawmakers.
Noem’s latest headlines come as Congress remains at an impasse over funding the agency, sparking a partial government shutdown. Democratic lawmakers have repeatedly called for dramatic reform of Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents, and for Noem to resign.
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