Governor Kristi Noem (R-SD) said Monday on NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” that her alleged meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was not removed from her book because it was “untrue.”
Vargas said, “You write about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. You’ve been question several times on last couple of days because you’ve issued a retraction. You said that it shouldn’t have been in the book, this passage, that it was a mistake. Why shouldn’t that have been in the book? Is that untrue?”
Noem said, “No. What I said is that when this was pointed out that we we made adjustment to what the content was in the book. I’ve met many world leaders around the world. I’ve been to the DMZ. I’ve been traveling for years and years talking to world leaders. Just that name should not be in the book and I’m not going to discuss those personal meeting.”
Vargas said, “Your senior spokesman told Politico that the world leaders names were conflated in the book. What does that even mean?”
Noem said, “What it means is that I met with many world leaders, many of them. Some of them were in the book and some of them are not in the book. When this was brought to my attention, I immediately took actions and asked to have his name removed.”
Vargas said, “Why did you remove it? Is it because it’s untrue that passage?”
Noem said, “No. This is something I’m not going to talk about. I don’t talk about personal meetings with world leaders and I’m going to continue to stay there.”
Vargas said, “But clearly if you’re taking it out of the book it’s because it’s not true.”
Noem said, “I’ve given you my answer, and, no, that’s not the answer. I would say that this is something I asked to have adjusted and to have the content and that name removed and that is truly what the action has been.”
Vargas said, “You said you when you learned that you immediately took action, you recorded the whole book, the audio you read this whole passage out loud. Why did you take it out then when you read the audio book?”
Noem said, “You know, I’ve traveled for years. I’ve been involved in policy for almost 30 years. And so I’ve gone all across the world. I met with world leaders. When I was brought to my attention and it was I asked the publisher if they would remove the name and they did.”
Vargas said, “But you didn’t answer my question. You posted pictures and videos of yourself recording the audiobook. When you recorded your own audiobook, you didn’t notice?”
Noem said, “I’m not going to discuss about my meetings with world leaders.”
Vargas said, “I’m not asking to. I’m asking you about recording the audiobook.”
Noem said, “Did you want to talk about something else today?”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
