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Posted on 11/26/2025 8:34:43 AM PST by Miami Rebel
The Department of Homeland Security paid a company — filled with Secretary Kristi Noem’s friends and allies — to create at least one of several political ads in a potential violation of ethics laws, according to an investigation by ProPublica.
President Donald Trump asked DHS to create the ads to “thank me for closing the border.” They feature Noem doing exactly that while criticizing the “weak leadership” of prior Democratic administrations. The money could have instead been spent on actual border security.
ProPublica reports the ad spending totals $220 million. DHS’ also ignored competitive bidding laws by claiming the border crisis created an “unusual and compelling urgency” to create TV ads that would combat “misinformation.”
That allowed $143 million to flow to a dubious LLC called Safe America Media, which was incorporated in Delaware days before accepting the money. Its listed address is the home of Mike McElwain, a longtime Republican campaign consultant and former political director of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Safe America Media then sent some of the money to subcontractor Strategy Group, which filmed at least one of the TV ads for DHS. It features Noem dressed as a cowgirl riding a horse through the wilderness. She discusses the value of freedom while a montage of Trump plays in the background. It is unknown how much money Strategy Group received.
According to ProPublica, “No firm has closer ties to Noem’s political operation than the Strategy Group,” which managed advertising for her 2022 South Dakota gubernatorial campaign. Noem’s chief spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, married Strategy Group CEO Ben Yoho earlier this year. Corey Lewandowski, Noem’s top advisor, has “worked extensively” with the company.
(Excerpt) Read more at oleantimesherald.com ...
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Where's DOGE when you need it?
The idea is fine, but there must be hundreds of marketing firms that would have gladly bid on making the video. (By the way, I flew out of Miami International this a.m. and for the first time in my last half dozen departures, I did NOT see a video clip of Noem while going through security. C-SPAN was on instead! Safe travels to all holiday travelers.)
If you are flying this time of year you are a better man than I!
Posting it for bid would have given dozens of USAID funded groups time to flood the airwaves with even more lies before this commercial even hit the splicing desk.
ProPublica breathlessly reports like this is the first time this has happened. The ad must have been too effective for their taste.
EC
You could make that argument for a lot of other government contracts, but does it sit well with you that it was Noem’s buddies who cashed in on this job?
it seems to me that the honorable way to award the work (if we accept your premise that this had to be handled clandestinely) would have been to have sought a seasoned contractor versus a start-up financially linked to the awarding secretary.
$220M that should never have been spent.
Even the idea isn’t fine.
Sorry, but I don’t care. Our legislators rake in billions of dollars from lobbyists and other special interest groups, and nobody raises an eyebrow. And I would be shocked if this very same thing didn’t occur with most political campaigns. When all of those crooks are exposed and prosecuted, then I’ll revisit the issue. Until then, you hire who you know.
Any story depending on reporting by ProPublica I immediately dismiss as tainted with TDS. I assume it is filled with falsehoods and innuendo but contains little in the way of facts.
SNORT.
And then there’s this...
A lot of companies won’t want to do biz with this admin, so anyone willing to do the job could likely be considered a friend and ally.
Long in inuendo and very short on anything concrete.
“This person once said something nice about Trump and Noem...”
Yep... must be a close insider ally... *hard eyeroll*
The name Lewandowski pops out, especially as relates to Noem.
Bombshell: Noem once ripped the tag from a mattress.
You can choose to believe the rumors. Not a good look on you though...
You are assuming that the seasoned firms are not polluted with leftist leakers with a grudge. This could have been the best way to avoid that.
It’s not uncommon to surround yourself with like minded people and only trust those you know. That’s why the current bureaucracy is a sewer of leftists.
> You could make that argument for a lot of other government contracts, but does it sit well with you that it was Noem’s buddies who cashed in on this job?<
ProPublica is making a stretch using generalities to tie this to Noem. Who hires strangers and enemies to do clandestine work?
EC
“it seems to me that the honorable way to award the work (if we accept your premise that this had to be handled clandestinely) would have been to have sought a seasoned contractor versus a start-up financially linked to the awarding secretary.”
Honor matters! Noem should resign, imo.
“investigation by ProPublica”
OH WOW. It must be serious then.
I’m ignorant of ethics rules but wouldn’t that apply to elected politicians and not cabinet members?
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