GOP donor paid $1 million to deploy South Dakota National Guard

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A billionaire Republican donor is paying $1 million to help cover the cost of deploying the South Dakota National Guard to the U.S. -Mexico border.

The amount of the donation was confirmed by Gov. Kristi Noem’s office.

Noem’s office says she accepted the offer from donor Willis Johnson to save taxpayers money. Critics say the deployment amounts to political theater.

Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, have criticized the Biden administration’s handling of an influx of crossings at the border.