The person who stole Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s handbag containing $3,000 in cash over the weekend was wearing a medical mask and snatched the bag from underneath her chair, officials said.
“She could feel this person as they snatched her bag, but thought they were her grandchildren playing until realizing a minute later that her bag was gone,” said Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security.
“Her bag was under her feet and the perpetrator hooked the bag with his foot and dragged it across the floor and put a coat over it and took it.”
The theft happened on Sunday night at the Capital Burger, an upscale pub-style restaurant in downtown Washington where Ms. Noem was having dinner with her family.
The handbag also held her driver’s license, medication, apartment keys and blank checks.
The theft is the latest episode to raise questions about the performance of the Secret Service, which has been under intense scrutiny since President Trump was the target of two assassination attempts last year. It is not clear how the thief was able to get so close to Ms. Noem and walk out with her bag under the eyes of the agents on the scene.
Asked why Ms. Noem was carrying so much cash, Ms. McLaughlin said: “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.”
Ms. Noem runs a department that is in charge of the nation’s security, including border control and immigration and terrorism protection.
By virtue of her position, she also has a round-the-clock security detail. According to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the Secret Service’s investigation, agents were present in the restaurant at the time of the theft.
The official added that footage from the restaurant’s security cameras showed the person who stole Ms. Noem’s bag was wearing what a law enforcement official described as a “Covid-style mask,” obscuring parts of his face. The official said the investigation had produced some leads.
The restaurant, one of several Capital Burger locations along the East Coast, is owned by Darden Restaurants, an Orlando, Fla.-based operator that also owns the Capital Grille and the Olive Garden, among other dining brands.
