Is Kristi Noem Building a Shady Security Empire?

"Senior officials at the Department of Homeland Security have pushed the nation's cyber defense agency [CISA] to back the installation of a secure intelligence-sharing facility at a university in Secretary Kristi Noem's home state of South Dakota. But those with direct knowledge of the request say there is no clear national security need for the project, despite pressure on CISA staffers to make a case for it."

"She was called, ominously, to a two-hour White House meeting on Monday. Ever since one of the government's death squads killed Alex Pretti, Noem has found her freedom of action circumscribed by a White House dead nervous about what the murder has done to its political credibility. The SCIF in question would appear, to the amateur eye, to have been a bit of grandiose empire-building. Now, it might be a relic of Noem's former status within the administration."

Senior officials at the Department of Homeland Security urged CISA to support building a secure intelligence-sharing facility (SCIF) at a university in South Dakota. CISA staffers faced pressure to justify the project despite no clear national security need. The proposed facility would require construction from scratch and could cost millions. Critics raised concerns that the installation might advantage Dakota State University in future federal contracts. A former agency official said no mission requires sharing TS/SCI more with South Dakota than other states. SCIFs handle top-secret TS/SCI material and about 1.25 million Americans hold that clearance.

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