Kristi Noem’s final days running Homeland Security are drawing fresh scrutiny after the department acknowledged that the aircraft purchases made under her leadership are connected to an ongoing criminal law enforcement investigation.
The luxury planes were reportedly purchased at inflated prices from a company whose chairman donated to a political action committee supporting Noem. Now, questions about the deals are taking on a more serious dimension.
According to The Washington Sun, DHS’s Privacy Office cited an “ongoing criminal law enforcement investigation” when responding to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking records related to the aircraft purchases.
Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that DHS purchased five airplanes from Daedalus Aviation Corporation at a “substantial markup” over their market value.
The purchases reportedly occurred near the end of Noem’s tenure as DHS secretary. The company’s chairman, William Walters, had donated $10,000 to American Resolve, a super PAC established to support Noem.
The Times reported that the planes were purchased above market value. The transactions have fueled questions about how the department evaluated the aircraft, who approved the deals, and whether the government received fair value for its money.
The latest development came after The Washington Sun filed a FOIA request on October 14 seeking records tied to the aircraft acquisitions.
In its initial response, DHS said it could neither confirm nor deny whether responsive records existed, explaining that doing so could interfere with “ongoing or prospective enforcement proceedings.”
That language is commonly used when an agency believes confirming or denying records could affect law enforcement activity.
After the Sun published its report, the Justice Department issued a statement saying that, as a general policy, it does not confirm or deny the existence of ongoing investigations.
Noem, whom President Donald Trump removed as DHS secretary on March 5, has disputed the Times’ account.
After the report appeared, she took to social media to demand that the newspaper retract or explicitly correct its article, titled “Kristi Noem’s Agency Gave Her Donor a Lucrative Contract Just Before She Left.”
She also challenged the characterization of Daedalus as a political donor, pointing to the distinction between the company and its chairman, Walters, who made the $10,000 contribution to the Noem-supporting super PAC.
Trump announced Noem’s departure after a series of controversies during her time leading DHS. He replaced her with then-Sen. Markwayne Mullin.
Noem’s response makes clear that she disputes the reporting. But the central questions about the aircraft deals remain: Were the planes fairly priced? Who authorized the purchases? And what records exist to show how the department reached its decisions?
The Sun’s FOIA request seeks a broad set of documents, including acquisition decision memos for seven Boeing 737-700 aircraft and one Gulfstream G650 reportedly acquired around December 2025.
The requested records include seller information, prices, aircraft tail numbers, funding sources, purchase agreements, bills of sale, reimbursement records, flight data, and policies governing the aircraft’s use by senior officials.
The Times also sought records related to the purchases. According to the newspaper, DHS denied its request, arguing that releasing the material could “compromise national security or create other security risks.”
