A Colorado county Republican group announced it is canceling a fundraiser featuring the South Dakota governor and potential Republican vice presidential candidate. Kristi Noem after her would have described killing his young dog in his next book.
Jefferson County Republican Party Chairwoman Nancy Pallozzi said in a statement Friday that the group’s fundraising dinner, which was scheduled to take place Saturday, was canceled “due to safety concerns” after the group, the governor and his staff, and the hotel hosting the event were the subject of “numerous threats and/or death threats.”
“After a conversation with the governor’s office Wednesday evening, we mutually decided that safety was the most important concern for everyone involved,” Pallozzi said. “The Denver West Marriott has also received alarming feedback and expressed deep concern to us for the safety and security of those attending our event, other guests and their staff.”
Noem was confirmed as a keynote speaker at the Jefferson County Republicans’ annual fundraiser in early April after the group sent her an invitation in January, Pallozzi said.
That was before The Guardian published an article late last month describing Noem’s account of leading her 14-month-old dog, Cricket, to a gravel pit to be shot after concluding he was ” less than worthless” and “impossible to train”.
Pallozzi’s statement noted that his group was “taking no position in the face of the public outcry over the governor’s book,” adding that Noem “has had to and continues to stand up for our constitutional rights, our freedom and less government, which is the platform”. of the Republican Party.”
In a phone interview, Pallozzi told NBC News the decision was not made lightly.
“We lost money on this,” Pallozzi said. “It was supposed to be a fundraiser, but now we’ve lost thousands of dollars.”
Pallozzi said the group was issuing a “full refund” for tickets and that she had 300 copies of Noem’s book that the publisher had given special permission to release at the event. Noem was also scheduled to do a signing and take photos.
The group remains in talks with Noem. It is not yet clear whether the event with the governor will be postponed.
A spokesperson for Noem did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment Friday evening.
During an interview on Fox News on Wednesday, Noem said the dog was “extremely dangerous”.
“It came to us from a family who found him too aggressive,” Noem said, adding that the dog had “massacred” a neighbor’s livestock the day he was killed.
Noem initially responded to criticism of passages about cricket in a post on last week he wrote: “We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm. » Noem’s social media response was written above a screenshot of the article by The Guardianwho got a copy of Noem’s book “No Going Back,” which is due out next week.
NBC News did not obtain a copy of Noem’s message…
