Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem slapped a South Dakota newspaper with a cease-and-desist letter, accusing them of "false and misleading" reporting over credit card charges during her time as governor.
The Dakota Scout, which bills itself as the Mount Rushmore State's "leading alternative, independent and locally-owned newspaper," has been accused of exaggerating the charges by assigning transactions made from the governor's office solely to her.
Noem is demanding they stop, noting that other statewide media outlets are now using these numbers in reports alleging she misused taxpayer funds.
According to a Fox News report, the Scout has attributed more than $650,000 in charges on a government-issued card to the former governor when, in fact, they were across multiple cards used for the operation of the entire office.
Fox Digital learned that Noem's legal team plans to send similar cease-and-desist letters to other outlets characterizing the $650,000 in expenditures were made specifically by the former governor.https://t.co/Uj7OqpIOyJ
— Benjamin G. Koisti (@Ben_Koisti) March 7, 2025
Fox Digital analyzed receipts showing expenditures by Noem across her six years as South Dakota governor and found she had used her government credit card roughly 30 times for a total of $2,056.72.
That's quite a differential.
"I write out of concern that your website continues to publish false and misleading information about my client that you have known to be false since at least July 2024," an attorney representing Noem wrote in a letter to the Scout.
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The attorney then addresses the additional $647,943.28 in charges the office used as being falsely attributed to Noem alone.
"Specifically, your website repeatedly, and inaccurately, refers to all charges on credit cards used by the Office of the Governor of South Dakota as charges of my client—allowing a conclusion by multiple commenters on the site and other news outlets that my client violated the laws of South Dakota or stole taxpayer funds for her personal use," the letter reads.
"We demand that The Dakota Scout immediately cease spreading these false, misleading, and inaccurate statements and take immediate and significant steps to correct past inaccuracies."
South Dakota website @TheDakotaScout repeatedly published false information “known to be false since at least July 2024” about @KristiNoem.
— Tim Murtaugh (@TimMurtaugh) March 7, 2025
Stories were pushed by reporter @AustinGossSD, who also pleaded guilty to impersonating Noem in a prank call in 2023! https://t.co/Fx5qxf4FZx
The newspaper remains defiant, telling Fox News that the letter is authored "by somebody lacking understanding of the facts and the First Amendment."
And, in a clear sign that the Scout is run by somebody who lacks an understanding of math and how office budgets work, they doubled down on their claims, publishing a new report Friday morning alleging Noem's credit card usage had actually been "$750,000 paid on two state charge accounts."
The bulk of that, according to their accounts, consisted of travel and lodging for her security detail.
Tim Murtaugh, a spokesman for Kristi Noem in her personal capacity, thoroughly eviscerated the outlet.
“The website has consistently published fake news, which they knew to be fake, because they were repeatedly corrected on their facts as far back as at least July 2024, but they kept publishing the same wrong information as recently as this week," he tells RedState.
"The First Amendment provides for freedom of the press, but it doesn’t say you’re allowed to defame people. And they’ve published news and headlines that they knew to be false.”
Perhaps not coincidentally, Austin Goss, a reporter for The Dakota Scout, announced he was leaving the newspaper just hours before Fox published its report alleging they had misreported the facts regarding Noem's use of state credit cards.
Less than 12 hours before a @FoxNews story (that he knew was coming) blasted his “false and misleading” reporting on @KristiNoem, reporter Austin Goss announced he was leaving @TheDakotaScout.
— Tim Murtaugh (@TimMurtaugh) March 7, 2025
Amazing coincidental timing for such a farewell announcement.https://t.co/wgyW66SQex https://t.co/nt2R1NOPan
“How shocking that a reporter who was arrested and charged, and ultimately pleaded guilty to impersonating Kristi Noem by using her cell number to place a prank phone call, would be the one to lead the fake news attack against her," Murtaugh pointed out.
"He got fired for the hoax phone call, and now he’s conveniently timed his departure from the Dakota Scout website just as his reporting comes under scrutiny," he added. "Quite a track record.”
Goss pleaded guilty in 2023 to a misdemeanor charge for prank-calling Dan Lederman, the former chairman of the South Dakota Republican Party, using then-Governor Noem's personal cell phone number in an attempt to impersonate her.
He was fired by Dakota News Now over the incident.
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