Kristi Noem is 'alert and recovering' after trip to hospital over allergic reaction
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'She is alert and recovering,' said the statement from department spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, who said the hospital treatment was out of an 'abundance of caution.' Noem, 53, heads a sprawling department with roughly 260,000 employees handling immigration enforcement, airport security, disaster response and other matters.
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She held a press conference last week in California where U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat, was forcibly removed as he tried to speak to Noem about immigration raids. Padilla recalled the incident during an emotional speech from the Senate floor Tuesday.
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Homeland Security said the Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting the secretary, 'thought he was an attacker.' They also accused Padilla of 'disrespectful political theater.' Video of the incident shows a Secret Service agent on Noem's security detail grabbing Padilla by his jacket and shoving him from the room. In the hallway outside he was forced to the ground and handcuffed.
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Noem told Fox LA afterward that she had a 'great' conversation with Padilla after the scuffle, but called his approach 'something that I don't think was appropriate at all.'
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Before being tapped to head Homeland Security, Noem was a two-term governor of South Dakota, a former member of Congress and a staunch Trump supporter.
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Earlier this year Noem's purse was stolen on Easter Sunday while she was out to dinner with her family. The purse reportedly contained about $3,000 in cash, her keys, driver's license, passport and Homeland Security badge. The Homeland Security Department said Noem had cash in her purse to pay for gifts, dinner and other activities for her family on Easter.
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A suspect was later arrested in connection with the theft and has been charged in federal court with aggravated identity theft, robbery and fraud.
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