Kristi Noem, former Trump homeland security chief, files for divorce

Kristi Noem, who left her post as homeland security secretary after Donald Trump fired her, has filed to end her 34-year marriage to Bryon Noem, citing "irreconcilable differences." Court records from Hamlin County, South Dakota, where she once served as governor, describe the divorce claim as made "for settlement purposes only." Her attorney, Michael Sabers, signed the document on April 6, but the New York Times reports it reached the court only this week. That date falls a little more than a week after the Daily Mail published photos of Bryon Noem in a spandex shirt with inflated fake breasts. Kristi Noem responded then by saying she was "devastated" and that the family had been "blindsided.", according to The Guardian.

Speculation about the couple had already been circulating, fueled by rumors that she was involved with Corey Lewandowski, an aide at the department. On March 4, at a congressional hearing she attended with her husband, a Democratic lawmaker asked her under oath whether she had had sexual relations with Lewandowski. She called the question "tabloid garbage" but did not deny it.

Trump removed her the following day. He was reportedly unhappy with how she answered questions about a publicly funded advertising effort featuring her, which she told the committee he had approved. Markwayne Mullin took over the department. Her tenure had drawn heavy criticism, including for labeling Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two protesters killed in Minneapolis during an immigration enforcement surge, "domestic terrorists."

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Guardian’s reporting. Read the full story at The Guardian →