PIERRE, SD — Long-standing official social media accounts of South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem appear to have been deleted without explanation.
The accounts on Facebook, Instagram and X, the site formerly known as Twitter, had hundreds of thousands of followers. As of Monday, links to those accounts on the governor’s official website led to accounts that were no longer active.
A fourth link from the governor’s website to her official YouTube page remained active, as did Noem’s personal accounts on Facebook, Instagram and X.
This month, a new X account was created for the governor’s office. As of Monday morning, the account had just over 300 followers, far fewer than the roughly half a million followers her old account had.
Noem spokesman Ian Fury referred The Associated Press to that account as a source for official updates from the governor’s office, but declined to answer questions about her old accounts, including whether they were deleted by Noem or her office.
Name it, ever thought it was a candidate for vice president for former Republican president Donald Trump ‘s ticket for 2024, has been the target of a steady stream of hate speech for killing a rambunctious puppy since The guard revealed the details she wrote in her new book in April.
She tried to reframe the story from two decades ago as an example of her willingness to make difficult decisions, writing on social media that the 14-month-old wirehaired pointer named Cricket had exhibited aggressive behavior by biting.
Noem also faced backlash from within South Dakota for comments she made earlier this year about tribal leaders profiting from drug cartels. Several tribes have forbidden name from their reservations.