Summary
- Kristi
Noem fast-tracked $11 million FEMA funds for Florida pier. - Funding
came after a major donor contacted her directly. - The
pier is near the home of Noem’s top adviser, Lewandowski.
The accusations coincide with grievances that the FEMA has
been slow to react to previous disasters, such as flooding in central Texas,
partly because of alleged regulations requiring Noem to personally approve expenditures
above $100,000.
However, Noem apparently jumped to the rescue and repaired a
historic pier in Naples, Florida, a picturesque and affluent community on the
Gulf Coast, which had been destroyed since Hurricane Ian in 2022.
Teresa Heitmann, the mayor of Naples, reportedly turned to
Dr. Sinan Gursoy for assistance in August following months of delays, some of
which local officials blamed on cuts to government agencies during the Trump
administration.
“FEMA is holding us up,”
Heitmann wrote in a text message to
Gursoy obtained by the outlet.
“Kristi Noem could put some fire under the FEMA
employees slacking.”
In addition to appearing on a planning document as a member
of the South Dakota delegation to the 2024 Republican National Convention, the cardiologist
apparently had personal connections to the DHS secretary, having reportedly
contributed at least $25,000 to her 2022 campaign for governor of South Dakota.
According to ProPublica, Corey Lewandowski, a leading Noem
aide, also seems to possess a house close to the Naples pier. Noem and
Lewandowski both deny any intimate relationship, despite media rumors to the
contrary.
The pier project immediately saw rapid progress.
“Per leadership instruction, pushing project immediately,”
a
FEMA official said, according to records obtained by ProPublica.
According to Noem’s Instagram, she visited the location in
late August. The mayor said she had dinner with Gursoy in Naples.
“This has nothing to do with politics: Secretary Noem also
visited Ruidoso, NM, at the request of a Democrat governor and has been
integral in supporting and speeding up their recovery efforts,”
the Department
of Homeland Security said in response to the report.
Last month, a group of FEMA employees warned in an open
letter that Trump administration cuts and staff changes at the agency were
leaving America unprepared for disasters.
“Our shared commitment to our country, our oaths of office,
and our mission of helping people before, during, and after disasters compel us
to warn Congress and the American people of the cascading effects of decisions
made by the current administration,”
the letter read.
Are there ethics investigations or oversight inquiries
ongoing?
Several ethics offices located within institutions, e.g.,
the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE), continue to verify compliance with
ethics policies and review reported transgressions by members of government and
public service.
Congressional oversight committees (including the House
Oversight Committee) investigate actions taken by the Executive Branch and
potential misconduct (like the PDF publication of documents related to the
estate of Jeffrey Epstein), and (1) other conduct that may be politically
sensitive or “”propriety or ethics that can be controversial”
(e.g. value of a gift, disclosure of gifts, etc).
Investigative bodies; like the Independent Commission
Against Corruption (ICAC) in NSW or similar commissions will hold public
inquiries and ethics investigations into allegations of corrupt conduct and
breach of public trust misconduct.
