SD Gov Under Fire For Abusing Use Of State Aircraft

The Daily Beast reports:

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem used a state airplane to shuttle her around the country to right-wing political events, racking up huge bills on the taxpayer dime as the GOP darling traveled to events hosted by, among others, the NRA, Turning Point USA, and a Las Vegas confab put on by the Republican Jewish Coalition.

Noem unnecessarily blew thousands on air travel by having the state airplane fetch her at her family home in Castlewood, SD, rather than at the official governor’s residence in Pierre, where the plane is kept. Noem once had the airplane pick her up at her daughter Kassidy’s wedding, which was held in Custer State Park.

Read the full article. Under South Dakota law, using state-owned aircraft for non-state business can result in a fine as much as ten times the state’s cost of each excursion.

More from Mediaite:

Several other trips detailed in the flight logs appeared to be a mix of business and pleasure, like a New York City trip with her family, purportedly to “cheer on the South Dakota Float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade,” according to Noem’s Instagram post, but they also made touristy jaunts to a restaurant made famous for its appearances in the Seinfeld television show, Radio City Music Hall, and ice skating in Central Park. The trip also happened to wrap up on Noem’s 48th birthday.

NEW – Gov. Kristi Noem used a S.D. state-owned airplane to travel to right wing meetings, like NRA, Turning Point & more, newly revealed flight logs show

State lawmakers say this may have violated a law forbidding political/personal use of the planehttps://t.co/KBOElmRFEz

— Daniel Newhauser (@dnewhauser) February 15, 2021

 

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