A DHS spokesperson said Noem was carrying the money "to treat her family to dinner, activities, and Easter gifts."
WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's bag — including $3,000 in cash — was stolen while she was out dining with family on Sunday night, a DHS spokesperson confirmed to NBC News on Monday.
Noem was at Capital Burger, a restaurant in downtown Washington, according to two people familiar with the theft.
When asked why Noem had so much cash in her purse, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin responded: “Her entire family was in town including her children and grandchildren — she was using the withdrawal to treat her family to dinner, activities, and Easter gifts.”
CNN was the first to report on the theft.
At approximately 7:55 p.m. ET, a man wearing an N-95 mask walked into the restaurant and up a few stairs to where Noem was eating dinner, the two people said.He sat near Noem's table and scooted his chair close to hers before carefully taking his foot and sliding her purse toward him, according to surveillance footage viewed by law enforcement, the sources said, adding that within minutes the man picked up Noem's purse and placed it under his jacket, walked out of the restaurant and down the street.
It’s unclear whether Noem was specifically targeted. Investigators are looking into whether the man knew the purse belonged to a Cabinet secretary.
In addition to the cash, Noem’s bag also included her DHS personal identity verification card that provides access to secure agency buildings, as well as credit cards, blank checks, her passport, driver’s license and a set of keys, the sources familiar with the theft said.
At least two on-duty plainclothes members of the U.S. Secret Service were seated at the restaurant's bar, in between where Noem was seated and the front doors, according to a source who witnessed the meal and said that the restaurant wasn’t very busy at the time.
It’s unclear if any additional agents were seated near Noem's table, which was upstairs, far from the front entrance.
A restaurant manager on duty Monday told NBC News that footage was controlled by Darden Restaurants and directed media questions there. The corporate office for Darden Restaurants, which owns Capital Burger, did not respond to requests for comment.
During the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, NBC News asked Noem about her purse being stolen, but she said she couldn't provide a comment or details.
"I don't think I can comment on it yet," she said. "It's not resolved yet."
Noem said the U.S. Secret Service was aware of the theft but said she hadn't spoken to agency personnel yet about what happened.
Asked for comment, a Secret Service spokesperson referred NBC News to DHS.
Noem has been an outspoken member of President Donald Trump's Cabinet, pushing his hard-line policies of deporting undocumented immigrants and fortifying the U.S.-Mexico border to slow illegal migration.
Before joining the administration, Noem was the governor of South Dakota and a member of the House.
