Noem out of Shield of America’s role, State Department confirms

Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is no longer serving as the Trump administration’s special envoy to the “ Shield of the Americas ” coalition, a spokesperson confirmed to NewsNation, The Hill’s broadcasting partner.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in an interview Thursday evening with NewsNation’s Kellie Meyer that the ousted secretary’s time had come to an end as special envoy, though he did not elaborate on the reasoning behind her departure.

“We’ve seen the secretary’s time as envoy expire,” Pigott said. “She continues to be at the State Department as a senior adviser.”

CBS News was the first to report Noem was no longer in her role.

President Trump announced Noem would assume the role of special envoy for the newly created Shield of the Americas initiative after she was fired as Homeland Security secretary in March. Her removal from the department’s highest office followed controversial immigration enforcement operations, leading to the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis — one of whom Noem branded a “ domestic terrorist .”

Noem’s Homeland Security tenure was shrouded in controversy, including scrutiny surrounding her relationship and association with Corey Lewandowski, a former adviser for the department. House Democrats opened an investigation into Lewandowski in March.

Pigott said Thursday that Noem would remain working on the Shield of the Americas initiative but declined to provide specifics on what this would entail.

“There’s always these types of changes that happen,” Pigott said. “This is part of what’s happening with these positions. But, certainly, we remain dedicated to implementing the president’s agenda across the board.”