Gov. Kristi Noem is facing legal action after her latest endorsement caused an online furor that now risks taking a bite out of her standing in South Dakota at a time when she’s rumored to be among the front-runners on Donald Trump’s vice presidential shortlist.
Nearly 48 hours after she posted an uncanny, infomercial-style testimonial video – running nearly five minutes – in praise of the deluxe work she received at Smile Texas, a Houston-area cosmetic dentistry firm, Noem and her political team have not responded to questions over why she traveled so far for the procedure and whether the clip, which features images of her speaking at a political rally, was used to pay or defray from the cost of the work.
Noem is also facing a new lawsuit, filed by the consumer advocacy group Travelers United, accusing Noem of doing an “undisclosed advertisement” for Smile Texas.
“There are many dentists and cosmetic dentists in South Dakota,” the lawsuit claims, adding, “No one with an extremely important job in the South Dakota would fly to Texas to receive dental treatment and then sit in that office and film an advertisement without some form of compensation.”
Drs. Rick Kline and Bret Davis, a pair of dentists at Smile Texas, have, according to federal records, donated to Republican candidates and, in Kline’s case, the Texas state GOP. Davis, in a post to the Smile Texas Instagram account, used some of the video of Noem and wrote, “This gracious leading lady @kristinoem just received an executive, feminine, beautiful smile here at Smile Texas.” Neither is on record donating to Noem.
For all the fuzziness, at least one thing is clear: the South Dakota governor is delighted with the results.
“I love that my bite is better, that my teeth are a better shape, that…
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