Neighbors of Kristi Noem and her husband, Bryon Noem, find it hard to believe he cross-dresses.
Kevin Ruseink, a cattle rancher in North Dakota, told The New York Times the image “Must be A.I. [artificial intelligence]”
“I grew up playing ball with Bryon,” he continued. “I’ve never known him to be part of stuff like that. I don’t believe that at all.”
Ruseink was referring to an article by the Daily Mail which alleged Bryon Noem leads a double life.
This includes wearing fake breasts and speaking to fetish models online. The outlet included photos they said were of Bryon Noem wearing leggings and false breasts, sent in a messaging app.
Other North Dakota neighbors felt sympathy for the husband of the former secretary of Homeland Security.
Nancy Turbak, a former Democratic state senator, said, “I am sorry that Bryon is now the subject of so much attention himself, and for any embarrassment he’s experiencing.”
“He never asked for the public life in the first place, and I know him to be a kind and decent man. I wish he were not going through this,” she said.
Another neighbor, Brad Johnson, a conservationist and newspaper columnist, said, “People know Bryon as the supportive husband who worked to maintain a normal family life as Kristi’s profile skyrocketed.”
“It shows the price of power and fame is very high. But, Kristi invited this type of coverage by her actions at the Department of Homeland Security,” Johnson said.
A representative for Kristi Noem told the New York Post l she is “devastated,” and that the family has been “blindsided.”
Kristi Noem and Bryon Noem have been married since 1992, and they have three children.
President Donald Trump also weighed in on the scandal.
“They confirmed it? Wow, well, I feel badly for the family if that’s the case, that’s too bad. I haven’t seen anything. I don’t know anything about it. That’s too bad, but I just know nothing about it,” he told the Daily Mail.
