Melania to use Noem's controversial $70M aircraft for personal travel
Kristi Noem's controversial $70milion luxury jet will remain under the Trump administration's purview as First Lady Melania Trump will be among those who get to use it.
Some of the president's cabinet secretaries will also be allowed to use the aircraft, which was originally purchased to help with Trump's mass deportation agenda, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The jet was bought by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and featured a bedroom, showers, a kitchen, four large flat-screen TVs and even a bar, according to images obtained by NBC News.
Securing the Skies
The jet had already been leased by DHS and was used for a recent trip by Noem to Tel Aviv.
A spokesperson for DHS affirmed that the $70million jet was purchased prior to the confirmation of new Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
'This aircraft will be available to cabinet members who need secure command and control and rapid long-range mobility,' they added.
The White House referred reporters to the DHS when asked for comment.
ICE claims the jet will be used for deportations and travel for Cabinet officials, including DHS leadership like Noem.
But some DHS officials privately expressed concern to NBC whether the luxury 737 jet is necessary for Noem to carryout the president's mass deportation agenda.
From Suites to Seating
When asked how the plane would be used for deportations, a DHS spokesperson said 'at least one of the bedrooms is currently being converted for seating to prepare the aircraft to meet the demands of its deportation mission'.
NBC's scoop caused the Republican National Committee to blast the story to the top power brokers and media pundits in the Republican party.
The story was sent on Thursday morning to an email list filled with some of the most important operators in the GOP, including RNC members.
'Knives are out for Noem. They only send out stories they want folks to know about,' one GOP operator on the RNC's list told the Daily Mail. 'They don't send out every clipping.'
Pushing Back on Lies
An RNC spokesperson, however, downplayed the significance of the story being sent to the narrow email server filled with top officials in the GOP.
'Whoever this 'source' is clearly has no idea how media monitoring works,' RNC Communications Director Zach Parkinson told the Daily Mail.
'The RNC Communications team routinely monitors and alerts all kinds of stories - even fake ones - as it helps Republican communicators push back on legacy media lies.'
'Secretary Noem and all of President Trump's appointees at DHS are doing great work and have the RNC's full support,' added Parkinson.
Noem was let go as DHS Secretary on March 5, with Mullin confirmed by the Senate shortly after.
Political appointees in ICE and the White House initially were not going to purchase the plane but suddenly changed their minds, according to NBC's report.
'That particular plane was a 'no,' we weren't going to buy it. Then all of a sudden, they said 'yes,'' a DHS official said.
Officials also planned out how the plane could be 'retrofitted' for deportations, as well as for personal travel for Noem, according to the report.
Share your thoughts with us in the comments
