South Dakota Govenor Kristi Noem is demanding answers on how federal agencies allowed her personal information to become public in the aftermath of record releases from the Jan. 6 committee, as well as how these agencies plan to combat the potential results of this leak.
“My lawyers have asked the @WhiteHouse, the @USNatArchives, and @BennieGThompson which of them is responsible for leaking the Social Security Numbers of me, my husband, my 3 kids, and my son-in-law.” Noem tweeted on Friday evening following the leak of her and her loved ones private information. “What specific measures and remedies will be taken to protect our identities?”
JAN. 6 COMMITTEE RELEASES SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS OF TRUMP OFFICIALS AND ALLIES: REPORT
The night before taking the oath of office for her second term, Noem learned that her Social Security number and those of her immediate family were leaked by the Jan. 6 committee.
Among the hundreds of records posted online by the committee laying out the timeline of the events leading up to the storming of the Capitol was “a spreadsheet with nearly 2,000 Social Security numbers associated with visitors to the White House in December 2020.” The list included several high-profile Republicans.
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That leak included Noem along with her husband, three children and son-in-law, who according to the White House logs visited the outgoing President Donald Trump on Dec. 14, 2020. Noem shared that her visit was in an “official capacity”
President Donald J. Trump speaks with South Dakota Gov.-elect Kristi Noem during a meeting with Governors-Elect in the Cabinet Room at White House on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018 in Washington, DC.
(Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem gives victory speech after winning re-election on November 8.
(KDLT)
Now, Noem’s legal team has issued a letter demanding more information about how the breach occurred.
“The National Archives produced these visitors logs, which then became exhibits during the January 6 Committee hearing. Prior to being published as exhibits, the law required that Protected Personal Information be redacted from the visitor logs, but that was not done.” Noem’s legal team, Woods and Fuller, wrote in a letter to the the U.S. Government Publishing Office, The National Archives and Records Administration, and to the Chair of the Jan. 6 Special Committee.
The White House, Government Publishing Office, National Archives and Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, the Democrat chair of the Jan. 6 Committee, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the leak.
The letter added that Noem’s family is “now at a very high risk of identity theft and being personally compromised due to the failure to redact the social security numbers and making the same available to the public.”
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The letter also argues that the publishing of this information is a violation of the Privacy Act of 1974, and left open the possibility of further action. Noem’s lawyers attached a Jan. 13 deadline for a response from the addressed parties.
The other high-profile individuals include in the public leak are Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R), former Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson.
Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
