Kristi Noem has left her role as Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Shield of the Americas, but will continue working on the initiative as a senior adviser at the State Department.
A State Department official said Noem’s envoy status expired last month. She will now advise Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on the military and political coalition, which is focused on combating drug traffickers.
Noem took on the envoy position in April, shortly after Mr Trump removed her as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
At a September meeting attended by leaders of the coalition’s 19 member states, Mr Trump thanked her “for doing a really terrific job”.
The change comes as Noem faces renewed scrutiny over her personal life. Court documents show that her husband, Bryon, is seeking spousal support after she filed to end their 34-year marriage.
Noem, 54, filed her complaint in Hamlin County, South Dakota, on September 28, citing irreconcilable differences “for settlement purposes only”. She reserved the right to seek financial support from her husband.
Bryon’s response accepts that the marriage is over but asks the court to approve monthly payments from Noem. Neither filing gives a figure, and no award has been made. The couple’s three children are adults, so child support is not involved.
Noem’s legal team has also reserved the right to introduce fault-based grounds if the couple cannot reach a settlement.
Her departure from the Department of Homeland Security followed a dispute over a $220 million advertising campaign. Noem told a Senate committee that Mr Trump had personally approved the campaign, which featured her riding a horse near Mount Rushmore and alongside a herd of bison.
Republican senator John Kennedy challenged her account during the hearing, asking whether the President had approved the spending while she featured prominently in the advertisements.
“I’m not saying you’re not telling the truth,” Kennedy told her. “It’s just hard for me to believe, knowing the president as I do, that you said, ‘Mr President, here’s some ads I’ve cut, and I’m going to spend $220 million running them’ that he would have agreed to that.”
Mr Trump dismissed Noem two days later, saying he had never approved or reviewed the advertising campaign. Markwayne Mullin was subsequently confirmed by the Senate as her replacement.
