DHS chief Kristi Noem's purse stolen from eatery
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was stolen while she dined with family at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.


What happened
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was stolen while she was dining with her family at an upscale burger restaurant in downtown Washington, D.C., Sunday night, she and her office said Monday. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed a CNN report that Noem's purse contained her driver's license, passport, DHS access badge, apartment keys, medication, blank checks and about $3,000 in cash.
Who said what
Noem's "entire family was in town," and "she was using the cash withdrawal to treat her family to dinner, activities and Easter gifts," DHS said in a statement. Noem's around-the-clock Secret Service detail was at the restaurant, Capital Burger, but did not notice the purse being taken from underneath her seat, according to CBS News. Security footage subsequently showed an unknown white male in a medical mask taking her handbag and walking out of the restaurant, CNN said.
"This is a security breach that actually has high consequences," CNN law enforcement analyst Jonathan Wackrow said, "and it needs immediate and further review." Secret Service details "tend to give" protectees "a lot more room" at private events, former agent Dan Mihalek told The Washington Post. "They're not going to stand over her while she's having Easter dinner with the family."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
The Secret Service is leading an investigation into the handbag theft. The D.C. police department said local police were not involved in the probe.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
The armed clan allied with Israel in Gaza
Under the Radar Self-styled 'Popular Forces' has been denounced by its Bedouin tribe and Hamas for 'collaborating' with Israel
-
Magazine solutions - July 4, 2025 / July 11, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - July 4, 2025 / July 11, 2025
-
Magazine printables - July 4, 2025 / July 11, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - July 4, 2025 / July 11, 2025
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensive
Speed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance
-
Trump judge pick told DOJ to defy courts, lawyer says
Speed Read Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official nominated by Trump for a lifetime seat, stands accused of encouraging government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders
-
Mamdani upsets Cuomo in NYC mayoral primary
Speed Read Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani beat out Andrew Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary
-
Supreme Court clears third-country deportations
Speed Read The court allowed Trump to temporarily resume deporting migrants to countries they aren't from
-
Judges order release of 2 high-profile migrants
Speed Read Kilmar Ábrego García is back in the US and Mahmoud Khalil is allowed to go home — for now
-
US assessing bomb damage to Iran nuclear sites
Speed Read Trump claims this weekend's US bombing obliterated Tehran's nuclear program, while JD Vance insists the US is 'not at war with Iran'
-
Trump's LA deployment in limbo after court rulings
Speed Read Judge Breyer ruled that Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles was an 'illegal' overreach. But a federal appellate court halted the ruling.