reported on an anecdote<\/a> in \u201cNo Going Back\u201d that on its face is highly improbable: Noem\u2019s claim that she met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un while serving as a back-bencher in Congress.<\/p>\n\u201cThrough my tenure on the House Armed Services Committee,\u201d Noem wrote, \u201cI had the chance to travel to many countries to meet with world leaders. I remember when I met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. I\u2019m sure he underestimated me, having no clue about my experience staring down little tyrants (I\u2019d been a children\u2019s pastor, after all).\u201d<\/p>\n
In fact, the only part of this that checks out is Kim \u201chaving no clue about\u201d Noem \u2014 because they never met.<\/p>\n
Noem\u2019s spokesperson, Ian Fury, seemed to concede that the Kim story was false Thursday night: \u201cWe\u2019ve been made aware that the publisher will be addressing conflated world leaders\u2019 names in the book before it is released.\u201d<\/p>\n
That’s not the only story in the memoir raising questions about its validity. Playbook obtained an excerpt from the Noem book that includes an unusual allegation about Haley \u2014 one that the former 2024 hopeful plainly denies.<\/p>\n
The way Noem tells the story, in the summer of 2021 she \u201cwas hauling a trailer full of horses\u201d when she got word that Haley wanted to talk.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how Noem recounts the conversation:<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Hi, Governor, this is Ambassador Nikki Haley, and I just wanted to introduce myself and have a conversation. I just wanted to let you know that I follow you quite a bit. I have heard quite a bit about you, and you are doing a good job there in South Dakota. I was thinking that maybe you might like a mentor, and maybe I could be someone who could do that for you. Because you\u2019re a governor, you\u2019ve gone through some challenging things that I did as well. I would be more than willing to be a mentor, because you\u2019ve never been in this type of role before.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cShe went on to tell me about her life story, her r\u00e9sum\u00e9, and some of the challenges she faced in her legislature as governor and as ambassador to the United Nations reading daily talking points from the State Department. Once again, I recall, she offered to mentor me, as she was sure I was facing some decisions and situations I\u2019d never seen before. \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter what seemed to me a bit of an awkward pause, she added, \u2018I \u2026 just \u2026 also want you to know one more thing \u2026 I\u2019ve heard a lot of really good things about you. But I also want you to know that if I hear something bad \u2026 I will be sure to let you know.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a long pause.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Um, well, thanks for that, Ambassador.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Let me be clear,\u2019 she added. \u2018I\u2019ve heard many good things about you. But when I do hear bad things, I will make sure that you know. I\u2019ve enjoyed talking to you. We will visit soon. Goodbye.\u2019 Click.\u201d<\/p>\n
Was that a threat? Here\u2019s where things get strange. After she \u201ctook a few minutes to process the experience,\u201d Noem called her assistant. She recounts their conversation:<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018I think I was just threatened by Nikki Haley?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018What?!’<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Yeah, I\u2019m pretty sure I was just threatened by Nikki Haley. It was clear that she wanted me to know that there was only room for one Republican woman in the spotlight. It was weird.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cUnsurprisingly, I never received any calls or \u2018mentoring\u2019 from her, but the message was clear. I\u2019m the alpha female here, and you should know your place. I actually felt a little sad for her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Contacted for comment, Haley spokesperson Chaney Denton was befuddled. She said the two women did talk, but \u2014 looking back at Haley\u2019s calendar \u2014 found that it was in 2020, not 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cNikki has long called and written notes supporting other women when they go through challenging times,\u201d Denton said. \u201cShe called Governor Noem in 2020 to encourage her when she was criticized for keeping her state open during Covid. How she would twist that into a threat is just plain weird.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally, there is one other criticism that Noem levels against Haley, whom she calls a \u201clone wolf,\u201d that is worth highlighting: Their very different responses to the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe day after January 6, 2021, I did have a brief conversation with Nikki at the RNC meeting,\u201d Noem writes. \u201cIn my speech I talked about the importance of continuing to support Donald J. Trump, regardless of the fact that what unfolded on January 6 was undeniably ugly. She used the podium to criticize and distance herself from the former president.\u201d<\/p>\n