Far-right South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is currently embroiled in a nepotism scandal after reports broke that her adult daughter sought a real estate appraiser certification before being denied.
Days later, Noem and her daughter met with the head of the agency responsible for issuing these certifications. In four months, Noem's daughter was granted the certification.
While it's yet to be confirmed what conversations took place, Noem has refused to elaborate on the situation or answer extensive questions about why she—the executive of her state—took her daughter to a meeting with the head of an agency that denied her daughter a state certification.
On Twitter, Noem accused people of targeting her children.
Listen I get it. I signed up for this job. But now the media is trying to destroy my children. This story is just another example of the double standard that exists with the media... going after conservatives and their kids while ignoring Liberals #AskTheBigGuy— Kristi Noem (@Kristi Noem) 1632769661
Noem said the media was trying to "destroy" her children and "going after conservatives and their kids while ignoring Liberals."
Meanwhile, throughout the 2020 campaign, multiple media outlets ran stories about then-candidate Joe Biden's adult son, Hunter. Former President Donald Trump's first impeachment centered around his efforts to dig up dirt on the Bidens' business dealings—particularly Hunter Biden's position on a Ukraine energy company board.
Trump's defense attempted to vindicate Trump by decrying Joe Biden and his son until Trump was ultimately acquitted by the Republican Senate.
In the final weeks of the campaign, Hunter Biden was once again the subject of national scrutiny after outlets covered the contents of a laptop purportedly belonging to him.
By her own standards, Noem tried to "destroy" Joe Biden's children, as people soon pointed out.
pic.twitter.com/f7nIjRF9bo— Kevin M. Kruse (@Kevin M. Kruse) 1632775703
This you? https://twitter.com/kristinoem/status/1442566632526606339\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/jOBH6QHrA8— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1632780709
oh? seems you don't have a problem destroying other politicians adult children. https://twitter.com/kristinoem/status/1442566632526606339\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/CGoPso0r5f— \ud83d\udc89\ud83d\udca5\ud83d\udc1f\ud83c\udf2e \uea00 (@\ud83d\udc89\ud83d\udca5\ud83d\udc1f\ud83c\udf2e \uea00) 1632776135
They also questioned the idea that news outlets were targeting her daughter, rather than the governor herself.
This is mostly about what you did. https://news.yahoo.com/daughter-sought-state-license-noem-165940382.html\u00a0\u2026 https://twitter.com/kristinoem/status/1442566632526606339\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/v2I8pkXz3d— southpaw (@southpaw) 1632776002
Your daughter is 26 years old. She\u2019s not a kid anymore, and the media report is about YOU and whether YOU misused your position to get her special privileges.https://twitter.com/KristiNoem/status/1442566632526606339\u00a0\u2026— Bradley P. Moss (@Bradley P. Moss) 1632779010
Deflecting to hide that she is the one who broke the law...not the kid. This is cute. Also, pathetic.https://twitter.com/KristiNoem/status/1442566632526606339\u00a0\u2026— Fred Wellman (@Fred Wellman) 1632786007
Oh look gaslight... the story is *YOUR* public corruption not your kid's failure to get approvedhttps://twitter.com/KristiNoem/status/1442566632526606339\u00a0\u2026— Shannon in Ohio 4 (@Shannon in Ohio 4) 1632784213
Note that the Governor does not deny pressuring a state licensing agency to grant preferential treatment to her relative.\n\nThey\u2019re not after your kids. They\u2019re after you. And it seems well deserved.https://twitter.com/kristinoem/status/1442566632526606339\u00a0\u2026— President Dawg (@President Dawg) 1632777040
What you did to those three agency leaders is disgusting. It\u2019s about what YOU did, not your daughter. \nPS. Isnt it funny how u didn\u2019t have this \u201chands off the children (your daughter is 26)\u201d stance when u were attacking Hunter?https://twitter.com/kristinoem/status/1442566632526606339\u00a0\u2026— A.J. Delgado (@A.J. Delgado) 1632828825
Reporters are still digging into what occurred in the meeting.
@lizthepisces1993/TikTok
@spiciest_ranch/TikTok
@dakotaharris153/TikTok
@lifewithjennarenee/TikTok
@ladylbish_/TikTok
@doubledeedsters/Instagram
@mustbebaddazz/Instagram
@beatbysolovely10/Instagram
@sheena_babbyy/Instagram
@dapstar/Instagram
@faithwill_/Instagram
@ry_520_/Instagram
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
@TimmyFiveTimes/X