Kristi Noem. Photo:
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s purse, which had $3,000 in cash inside, was stolen while she was dining at a Washington, D.C., restaurant on Sunday, April 20, a law enforcement source told CNN.
The thief, believed to be a White man wearing a medical mask, was seen on security footage stealing Noem’s purse, the source said. Noem’s purse contained about $3,000 in cash, her driver’s license, her DHS access badge, and more, the outlet reported, citing the source.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the theft to PEOPLE.
“We can confirm this was stolen. Her entire family was in town including her children and grandchildren — she was using the cash withdrawal to treat her family to dinner, activities, and Easter gifts,” the spokesperson tells PEOPLE.
It’s unclear if the incident is under investigation by authorities. The Metropolitan Police Department referred PEOPLE to the Department of Homeland Security for comment on the matter.
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According to CNN, Noem said the incident has not been resolved.
Noem, 53, began her political career in 2010 when she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in South Dakota. She became the first female governor of South Dakota in 2018 and was re-elected in 2022, before taking office as DHS secretary in early 2025.
Noem has become a controversial far-right figure and has been a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump.
She revealed in her 2024 book No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward, that she once shot and killed one of her hunting dogs, as first revealed in an excerpt published by The Guardian.
Noem later defended her decision to kill the animal, writing in a lengthy post on X, “As I explained in the book, it wasn’t easy. But often the easy way isn’t the right way.”
