Governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem, defends extract from book discussing the killing of a dog and a goat.
As per a report by the Guardian, Noem had to kill her dog Cricket since it was deemed untrainable, harmful and of no value as a hunting dog. The dog had acted "like a trained assassin," and was shot in a gravel pit after it had attacked a local family's chickens and bit Noem herself.
In the excerpt, Noem is quoted saying, "I hated that dog." She employed an electronic collar to tame the dog but ultimately taken the drastic step of putting it down.
Later in the text, Noem describes her decision to shoot a goat which she saw as "nasty and mean" with a "disgusting, musky, rancid" odor. The goat would frequently chase and knock down her children.
Studying to set herself apart from conventional politicians, Noem remarks, "I guess if I were a better politician I wouldn't tell this story here." She posted a picture of the Guardian article along with a quote, calling the actions on her farm ordinary.
"We love animals, but tough choices have to be made on a farm. Unfortunately, we had to put down 3 horses a few weeks ago, who had been our family for 25 years. If you want more real, candid, and politically incorrect anecdotes that'll shock the media, pre-order 'No Going Back'. "
Simply because of the backlash created by the story, Noem issued a statement defending her actions as legal.
"Whether it was while running the ranch or in politics, I've never evaded my responsibilities to someone else. I adhered to the law and played my part as a responsible parent, dog owner, and neighbor," Noem wrote.
She also referenced a South Dakota law where dogs that attack and kill other domestic animals can be put down, an action she took to protect her family and those around her.
Noem, a Trump ally, is included in Trump's shortlist of candidates for vice president and has expressed support for Trump even if he is convicted in the New York hush money trial.
So far, she has refrained from declaring whether she would have certified the 2020 election as former Vice President Mike Pence did under similar circumstances. In 2021, Noem tied with Vivek Ramaswamy for first place in a poll of attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference who were asked who they'd prefer Trump to nominate as his running mate.
Noem, who publicly endorsed Trump in his 2016 run, questioned the motives of those joining the 2024 Republican primary process other than personal motivation and a temporary spotlight.
In her conference remarks, she asserted, "I was among the first to endorse Donald J. Trump in his presidential run. Last year, when everyone wanted to know if I was considering running for president, I said no. Why would one run for president if one can't win?"
This story was updated with additional information.
Shania Shelton contributed to this report for CNN.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
