Newsmax Host Concocts Absurd Excuses For Kristi Noem Book That Even She Rejects

Newsmax host Eric Bolling on Monday asked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) if a “liberal plant” on the publisher’s editing staff had sabotaged her book after two passages landed her in hot water. (Watch the video below.)

Noem’s publicity tour for “No Going Back” has hit notable roadblocks over her apparently false claim that she met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and a cold-hearted segment in which she described shooting her 14-month-old dog because it misbehaved.

While it’s no surprise that the right-wing channel is playing apologist for Noem’s predicament, Bolling went way too far.

He called on his own experience in writing books and described the exchange back-and-forth between author and editors, who “add” or “subtract.”

“Here’s my question,” he said. “The editor, was she possibly a plant, a liberal plant, because I’m not sure either one of these stories ― the dog story or the North Korea story ― seems like the Kristi Noem I know.”

Noem pushed back at the absurd attempt to give her an out.

“The buck always stops with me,” she said. “I take my own full responsibility. I wrote this book and I take the responsibility for what’s in it. It’s a great book, Eric. I hope everybody reads it and buys it.”

However, Noem really hasn’t taken full responsibility. She has yet to deny that she met with Kim Jong Un, only acknowledging that the anecdote would be removed. Her spokesperson acknowledged “small errors” that would be corrected.

Her account of shooting and killing her dog Cricket has evolved into a PR nightmare that she made worse by suggesting that President Joe Biden should do the same with his dog Commander, who was relocated to relatives after he bit several Secret Service agents.

As for Bolling’s ridiculous claim about a left-wing plant, the publisher of “No Going Back” is Hachette’s Center Street, a conservative imprint that has published books by right-wingers Vivek Ramaswamy, Ben Carson, Newt Gingrich and others.

“No Going Back” was released Tuesday. The publisher said the Kim Jong Un portion would be removed from reprints.