South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican rising star viewed as a serious contender to become former President Trump‘s running mate, has a lot to say about her decision to execute her family’s unruly puppy nearly two dozen years ago.
Since an excerpt from her book “No Going Back,” due out Tuesday, revealed the 14-month-old wire-haired pointer named Cricket’s fate, the former congresswoman has continued to discuss and post social media messages in response to the backlash she’s faced.
She “LOVES” dogs, she emphatically shared in a Monday interview on “CBS Mornings” over the weekend.
“I have a dear dog named Foster right now that goes everywhere with me,” she said after explaining that Cricket had been placed with her family after being too aggressive with previous owners.
Noem also doubled down on a suggestion in her book that President Biden’s dog, Commander, should have met a similar fate after biting people at the White House, including at least 24 Secret Service agents.
“Commander, say hello to Cricket,” she wrote in the book.
Commander was relocated from the White House after the attacks.
In the CBS interview, Noem wondered, “How many people is enough people to be attacked and dangerously hurt before you make a decision on a dog and what to do with it?”
“That’s a question that the president should be held accountable to,” she said.
The White House offered Noem some friendly advice in response.
“I would say to her is, she probably should stop digging herself into a hole,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters when asked about Noem, calling her comments about Commander “disturbing” and “absurd.”
“Rolling Stone,” citing unnamed sources, recently reported that Trump also can’t stop talking about the public relations nightmare surrounding Noem’s self-disclosed story.
Trump, Rolling Stone’s sources claimed, has repeatedly brought up the dog story in recent days, specifically wondering, “Why would she do that?” and questioning Noem’s political acumen in light of the unforced error behind its reveal.
Noem said in the CBS interview that the Cricket story has been known in South Dakota political circles and she thought someone could try to use it against her some day.
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