Kristi Noem's Husband's Cross-Dressing Was 'Worst Kept Secret in DC'
The cross-dressing online activity of Kristi Noem's husband was described as "the worst kept secret in Washington, D.C.," according to a new report, despite the ousted Homeland Security Secretary's statement that she was "blindsided" by an exposé this week. Pictures of Bryon Noem wearing pink hot pants and a skin-toned spandex top stuffed with balloons were published in a Daily Mail report, alleging he engaged in a "bimbofication" fetish while his wife served in President Donald Trump's cabinet.
Insiders Reveal Months of Gossip
While Kristi Noem's initial statement expressed shock, insiders told the newspaper that White House and Department of Homeland Security officials had been gossiping about Bryon Noem's alleged fetishes for "months." A White House insider stated, "Everyone knew he had problems, especially her. It's not a secret at all." The couple has been married for almost 34 years and has three adult children and several grandchildren.
Another Trump administration official commented, "I've heard people say Bryon dresses up in women's clothes, but I didn't imagine something this reckless. This certainly wasn't on my bingo card." Officials at the Department of Homeland Security were also allegedly aware of accusations that Kristi Noem conducted a taxpayer-funded affair with her former aide Corey Lewandowski, who has since left the department.
Affair Rumors and Vetting Concerns
A senior Department of Homeland Security official told the Mail, "I have been hearing [Bryon Noem] was a cross-dresser since last year and that she was telling people about it – we assumed to justify her affair." Kristi Noem described rumors of an affair with Lewandowski as "tabloid garbage" at a House hearing last month but did not definitively deny them. Another source reportedly said, "everyone assumed it was not a normal marriage" and that Bryon Noem was "either cool" with his wife's alleged affair "or he wasn't into women." The newspaper noted it had no evidence these claims were true.
Right-wing influencer Laura Loomer claimed in a post on X, "everyone in the admin has known this forever. I’m shocked it didn't come out earlier." According to the Mail, Bryon Noem's alleged activity "never came under scrutiny from the President's top advisers or the FBI." Had it emerged during Kristi Noem's vetting process to become Homeland Security chief, it "almost certainly" would have disqualified her, the report stated.
Criticism of Vetting Process
An official told the Mail, "They look into who you are married to, but there are not any questions about whether your husband has any secret fetishes," adding there's no "digging through online chatrooms to get dirt." Kel McClanahan, executive director of National Security Counselors, criticized the vetting process, saying, "They're supposed to be looking for information that could, at the very least, embarrass the White House. If they had gotten wind of this, I guarantee she would have been blacklisted."
Trump told the Mail he felt "badly for the family" but said, "I haven't seen anything. I don't know anything about it. That's too bad, but I just know nothing about it." Bryon Noem did not respond to a previous request for comment from The Independent but suggested to The New York Times he might share his side "at some point." Lewandowski responded on Kristi Noem's behalf, sharing her statement: "Mrs. Noem is devastated. The family was blindsided by this. They ask for privacy and prayers at this time."
Neighbors' Perspectives and Fallout
Many of Bryon Noem's neighbors in Castlewood, South Dakota, portrayed him as a supportive spouse who shied away from the limelight his wife enjoyed as Homeland Security Secretary before she was ousted last month by Trump over a multi-million dollar ad campaign. Real estate appraiser and newspaper columnist Brad Johnson told The Times, "People know Bryon as the supportive husband who worked to maintain a normal family life as Kristi's profile skyrocketed. It shows the price of power and fame is very high. But, Kristi invited this type of coverage by her actions at the Department of Homeland Security."
