Horses, Hair, and a $60K Bonus — Kristi Noem Faces Heavy Backlash Over Taxpayer-Funded Mount Rushmore Commercial

Former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem went all out in her latest Mount Rushmore advertisement. She filmed it on horseback and reportedly spent a massive amount of taxpayers’ money on makeup artists, hair and horses.

Vermont Senator Peter Welch was far from impressed with the amount of money spent on the advertisement, and criticized Noem’s actions. Additionally, he warned companies to be transparent about the expenses and said that they have an obligation to detail how they used the taxpayer funds.

According to a report by The Hill, Strategy Group Co., a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) subcontractor, was tasked to create a $220 million advertisement. The company reportedly received a $60,000 signing bonus for the advertisement and Noem was paid handsomely for being a part of it.

The report also mentioned that the advertisement cost as much as $20,000 on horse rentals. Moreover, an unverified report on X detailed other expenses related to the advertisement: $107,405 in labor costs, $52,599 in shooting costs, $378 on hair and makeup services, $500 on Magic Makers and $41,852 on other vendors.

The total expense stood at $286,137 in taxpayer dollars according to the X report.

However, the company said on social media that it never had a contract with the DHS. Instead, it said that it had a subcontract with Safe America for “limited production services.” Strategy Group Co. stated that they were paid a total of $226,137.17 for “five film shoots, 45 produced video advertisements and six produced radio advertisements.”

The company shut down the rumors circulating around the internet which questioned its integrity and suggested that critics should “bring actual evidence.” Regardless, the netizens were not satisfied with the companies’ public statement, and criticized it for spending such an amount of taxpayer money on the advertisement.

A user wrote, “A no-bid subcontract from a shell corporation that landed a fat DHS contract days after incorporation.” One user commented, “Thanks for confirming the details. Kristi Noem should be prosecuted, as should the recipients of the graft.” Another user added, “Did you really think people were gonna get fooled by the contract vs subcontract semantics game you played here?”

One stated, “You’re a bunch of lying crooks.” A user wrote, “Play your shell game somewhere else, give back our tax dollars traitors!”

According to a CNN report, the DHS declined to provide details about the expense. However, the department stated that it does not have a say in what the contractors do or in making any changes to the contract itself.

The Hill report mentioned that Welch was not at all happy with the advertisement and the no-bid contracts Noem was a part of. In a statement, he said that the commercial was a case of “waste, fraud and abuse.”

Welch blamed Noem and her senior team for using taxpayers’ money on “wasteful production costs, a shady signing bonus, and a very expensive rental horse.” He added that the companies involved in the advertisement have an obligation to be transparent about spending money paid by taxpayers.

The senator remarked that the DHS had heavily benefited from the commercial. He suggested that companies that are contracted and subcontracted should tell the public what they know.