Noem's DHS bought jets from donor's firm for $214 million
Department of Homeland Security purchases included a private jet and luxury aircraft at significant markups.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem testifies during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in March 2026.
Photograph: HuffPost (embedded from source)
What this story says
- The Department of Homeland Security agreed to pay $214 million for five aircraft from Daedalus Aviation Corporation.
- Daedalus Aviation Corporation's chair, William Walters, had donated $10,000 to Kristi Noem's political action committee in 2024.
- The New York Times reported that Daedalus had bought the most expensive jet for less than $90 million months before selling it to DHS for $108 million.
- Kristi Noem called The New York Times' report 'factually incorrect' and 'libelous'.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 18 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 1 of the 19 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
60/100
Craft
65/100
Hype
45/100
19 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
Only 1 of the 18 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
On her final day as Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem's department agreed to purchase five aircraft from Daedalus Aviation Corporation for a total of $214 million. The deal included a Boeing 737 airliner converted into a private jet for $108 million, and two luxury Gulfstream jets for $106 million. The department also bought two 17-year-old Boeing 737 passenger planes for $45 million each.
The New York Times reported that Daedalus Aviation Corporation's chair, William Walters, had donated $10,000 to Noem's political action committee, American Resolve, in 2024. The company stated Walters did not know the PAC was associated with Noem at the time. The Times also reported that Daedalus had acquired the Boeing 737 airliner for less than $90 million months before the DHS purchase. Additionally, Daedalus had spent approximately $83 million to acquire the two Gulfstream jets.
Disputed claims
Kristi Noem stated that The New York Times' report was 'factually incorrect' and 'libelous'. She requested a retraction or correction of the article, arguing that characterising Walters as a 'donor' was misleading and implied an improper financial relationship. The New York Times stood by its reporting.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated digests mention the detail that the two Gulfstream jets were acquired by Daedalus for approximately $83 million, a figure reported by The New York Times and HuffPost. None of the right-rated reports mention the specific details of the luxury renovations on the Boeing 737, such as the stand-up bar, two bedrooms, marble showers, and manta ray skin table, as reported by The New York Times and HuffPost.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 6 Oct 2026, 21:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
Credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr, under Creative Commons License 2.0
Crooks and Liars — embedded from source
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
13 rated outlets
- Seven left-rated reports focused on the connection between the aircraft purchases and Kristi Noem's political donor, William Walters. Multiple reports highlighted the significant markups on the aircraft, with The New York Times cited as the source for Daedalus Aviation Corporation buying the Boeing 737 for less than $90 million and selling it to DHS for $108 million. The reports also detailed the luxury features of the private jet, such as a stand-up bar and marble showers. The left-rated reports extensively covered Noem's reaction to the New York Times story, characterising her response as a 'meltdown' or 'rage' and quoting her demands for a retraction. HuffPost and Crooks and Liars noted that Noem was fired by President Donald Trump prior to these events.
Centre
4 rated outlets
- Two centre-rated reports highlighted that Kristi Noem had reportedly bought five luxury jets at inflated prices shortly before leaving the Department of Homeland Security. These reports noted that Noem called the claims 'libelous' and demanded the newspaper retract its story. Attack of the Fanboy mentioned that Noem wrote about herself in the third person in her response.
Right
1 rated outlet
- The one right-rated report stated that Kristi Noem was accused of giving a 'bloated contract' to a donor's firm in her final hours running the Department of Homeland Security, citing The New York Times. The report mentioned the purchase of five 'overpriced, luxury airplanes' from Daedalus Aviation Corporation.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Noem's DHS bought jets from donor's firm for $214 million?
- Of the 18 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 72% are rated left, 22% are rated centre, 6% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 19. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Noem's DHS bought jets from donor's firm for $214 million left or right?
- The story itself is neither. What can be counted is who has covered it, and 72% of the 18 rated outlets on it are rated left — so far this is a story carried mostly by the left. Coverage is still arriving and that can change, which is why the figure is dated rather than fixed.
- Is the coverage of Noem's DHS bought jets from donor's firm for $214 million biased?
- Noem's DHS bought jets from donor's firm for $214 million is one event reported by 19 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Noem's DHS bought jets from donor's firm for $214 million?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Noem's DHS bought jets from donor's firm for $214 million?
- 19 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- How much did the Department of Homeland Security pay for the aircraft?
- The Department of Homeland Security agreed to pay Daedalus Aviation Corporation $214 million for five aircraft. This included a Boeing 737 airliner for $108 million, two luxury Gulfstream jets for $106 million, and two 17-year-old Boeing 737 passenger planes for $45 million each.
- What was the connection between the seller and Kristi Noem?
- The chairman of Daedalus Aviation Corporation, William Walters, had donated $10,000 to Kristi Noem's political action committee, American Resolve, in 2024. The company stated Walters was unaware of the PAC's association with Noem at the time of the donation.
- Did Kristi Noem dispute the report?
- Yes, Kristi Noem called The New York Times' report 'factually incorrect' and 'libelous'. She demanded a retraction or correction, arguing that the characterisation of Walters as a 'donor' was misleading and implied an improper financial relationship.
Read it at the source
19 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
13- On Last Day at DHS, Noem Made Sweet Jet Deal With Donor (opens Newser in a new tab)
- Kristi Noem Spent Her Last Day At DHS Buying 5 Extremely Overpriced Jets From A Donor: Report (opens HuffPost in a new tab)
- Donor gave Kristi Noem PAC $10,000. DHS bought 10 of his planes. Coincidence? (opens Daily Kos in a new tab)
Daily Kos — is Daily Kos biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Noem rages about reported jet purchases she made on her last day before being fired (opens The Independent (US) in a new tab)
The Independent (US) — is The Independent (US) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Noem rages about reported jet purchases she made on her last day before being fired (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Kristi Noem Is Melting Down Over Damning NYT Exposé On Shady DHS Contract (opens Crooks and Liars in a new tab)
Crooks and Liars — is Crooks and Liars biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Kristi Noem Has Some Explaining to Do (opens The New Republic in a new tab)
The New Republic — is The New Republic biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Kristi Noem DHS Bought Five Jets From a Political Donor at a Steep Markup Before She Left Office (opens IBTimes UK in a new tab)
IBTimes UK — is IBTimes UK biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 5 more
- Kristi Noem’s agency gave her donor a lucrative contract just before she left (opens The Seattle Times in a new tab)
The Seattle Times — is The Seattle Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- NYT: Noem Donor Profited By Selling Old Jets To DHS (opens Joe.My.God. in a new tab)
Joe.My.God. — is Joe.My.God. biased? Our profile of this outlet
- New York Times: Former US Secretary Noem Bought Planes From Donor Just Before Departure (opens Volkskrant in a new tab)
Volkskrant — is Volkskrant biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Shock as Kristi Noem's final act as DHS secretary revealed: 'Striking symbol of waste' (opens Raw Story in a new tab)
Raw Story — is Raw Story biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Kristi Noem Seethes After NY Times Exposé on a Plum Contract DHS Gave to a Political Donor on Her Last Day as Secretary (opens Mediaite in a new tab)
Centre
4- Noem refutes report her DHS bought planes at inflated prices from donor (opens NewsNation in a new tab)
NewsNation — is NewsNation biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Kristi Noem reportedly bought five luxury jets at inflated prices shortly before leaving the DHS. She calls the claim ‘libelous’ (opens Attack of the Fanboy in a new tab)
Attack of the Fanboy — is Attack of the Fanboy biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Kristi Noem Demands Retraction Over Explosive $464M Jet Report (opens Reality Tea in a new tab)
Reality Tea — is Reality Tea biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Kristi Noem’s Agency Gave Her Donor a Lucrative Contract (opens Political Wire in a new tab)
Political Wire — is Political Wire biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
1Not rated
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