Kristi Noem’s Purse Stolen From Popular DC Restaurant With $3,000 Cash

(Bloomberg) — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s purse that contained $3,000 in cash was stolen while she was dining at a popular Washington, DC restaurant over the weekend, an incident now under investigation by the US Secret Service, according to a person familiar with the incident.

Noem was eating with her family at The Capital Burger when she felt what she thought was her grandchild brush against her leg, the person said. Moments later, she realized her purse was missing, according to the person, who isn’t authorized to speak publicly.

Officials believe the bag may have also held sensitive items such as her DHS official lapel pins. Her government-issued phone was recovered and has been accounted for.

Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed a masked individual stealing the purse and quickly leaving the restaurant, the person said. No arrests have been made.

Noem has served as one of the Trump administration’s most visible figures on immigration enforcement, frequently appearing in television ads and social media campaigns ordering migrants to go home or be found and deported. She has posed on horseback at the southern border region, accompanied federal agents on raids and championed tough-on-immigration messaging in media appearances. 

She briefly addressed the theft during the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, saying the matter remained under investigation.

Noem was hosting her entire family in Washington, including her children and grandchildren, and had been treating them to dinner, activities and Easter gifts, according to another person familiar with the matter.

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