BREAKING REPORT: Kristi Noem Offered To Step Down Early

This is a breaking news alert…

According to a new report published by Axios, Gov. Kristi Noem offered to step down early as Governor.

But it’s not for the reason you may think.

You might think it’s related to this recent news story:

FACT-CHECK: Did Kristi Noem Really Shoot Her “Worthless Dog”?

But the report is actually unrelated and goes back to last Fall.

I do want to stress that this report seems to derive solely from Axios' reporting, so we cover it with that caveat.

Axios is a good source, but I have not seen the story confirmed outside of Axios.

In any event, Axios reports that Gov. Noem offered to step down early in order to be the next EVP or CEO of the NRA:

SCOOP: Kristi Noem called NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre and offered to step down from her current job as South Dakota's Governor so that she could be the next executive VP or CEO of the gun lobby.https://t.co/L5DWG5hWxY

— Axios (@axios) May 6, 2024

More here:

NEW

Last year, @KristiNoem pushed for the top job at the NRA.

She even offered to step down as Governor of South Dakota early in order to take the gig.

She hadn’t even served a full year of her second term when she offered to step down. https://t.co/LB87Dv732j pic.twitter.com/fmRgD6lW7r

— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) May 6, 2024

Here is the full report from Axios, and note at the end a spokeswoman for Noem denied the report:

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) pitched herself for a top NRA job as early as last fall, two sources told Axios.

Why it matters: Noem offered to step down early as governor for the role, according to a person familiar with her conversation with former NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre.

• Late last fall, Noem called LaPierre to advocate to be the next executive vice president or CEO of the gun lobby.
• Noem is now in a heated PR cycle over passages in her book about shooting her dog and meeting with Kim Jong Un.

The big picture: Noem has long been aligned with the NRA, signing an executive order during its annual conference last year.

• Her name came up in very senior NRA circles immediately after LaPierre resigned in January, according to a source familiar.
• LaPierre has little official control over who will be tapped as his successor, but the 76-person board, stocked with many people he nominated, will vote to determine who obtains the position.

Zoom in: Noem was previously seen as a potential contender to be Trump's running mate. She has vehemently defended her decision to shoot her dog, Cricket, arguing the 14-month-old animal was dangerous and untrainable.

• When pressed on the supposed Kim Jong Un meeting, Noem refused to provide a definitive answer but said the book would be changed.

The other side: A spokesperson for Noem "unequivocally" denied that the governor had a conversation with LaPierre.

• "She loves her job as Governor of South Dakota," Ian Fury told Axios.
• LaPierre, through his lawyer Kent Correll, declined to comment.

Axios typically is a reliable source, but my Spidey Sense is tingling right now.

It feels to me like there is a coordinated attack on Noem right now.

First the story about the dog from last week, which was NOT breaking news.

That was dredged up and used strategically at this time as a hit piece.

Now this, which also is not new.

So you have two reports about news events that are not current events and both are designed to make Noem look very bad.

Is she the top contender for Trump's VP and do certain people not want her to get that role?

Folks, I have no hard evidence to back that up, just 10 years of reporting and my intuition is going off like a firecracker on this one....

What do you think?

And who's your top choice for Trump's VP?

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