Kristi Noem, former Trump homeland security chief, files for divorce

Kristi Noem, who was fired by President Donald Trump as homeland security secretary in March, has filed for divorce from her husband of more than 34 years, Bryon Noem, according to South Dakota court filings cited by ABC News. The filing lists irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split, the documents show.

The divorce claim, filed "for settlement purposes only," was disclosed in court records in Hamlin County, South Dakota, the state where Noem previously served as governor, The Guardian reported. The filing follows months of scrutiny over Noem's marriage and her tenure at the Department of Homeland Security, a period that included her firing, a tabloid scandal involving her husband, and congressional questions about her relationship with a top aide.

According to ABC News, the divorce complaint was signed by Noem's lawyer, Michael Sabers, in April but was not filed with the Hamlin County court until Monday. E! News reported the filing date as Sept. 28. Under South Dakota law, the parties are now subject to a temporary restraining order as the case proceeds, ABC News reported.

Sabers said in a statement that Kristi Noem had filed for divorce from Bryon Noem and would reserve further comment for the legal process, according to The Guardian and ABC News. Bryon Noem's attorney, Tim Bottum, told TMZ in a statement published Sept. 30 that "Bryon is saddend that the marriage is ending" and that he "hopes for a private and amicable resolution," according to E! News. Bottum added, as quoted by The Guardian, "If court proceedings become necessary, Bryon will welcome the opportunity to truthfully share his perspective," and said "Bryon's priority is to protect the family and move forward as loving parents and grandparents." Background

The divorce complaint was signed about a week after the Daily Mail published photos on March 31 that appeared to show Bryon Noem dressed as a woman with fake breasts, and ABC News reported he was alleged to have exchanged messages with women online and made some payments to them. E! News reported Bryon had also been accused of chatting in online fetish forums with models. At the time, Kristi Noem said in a statement that she was "devastated" by the images and that "the family have been blindsided by this," according to The Guardian.

The marriage had already drawn speculation over rumors that Noem was in a relationship with her DHS aide, Corey Lewandowski, which both have denied, according to ABC News. At a Capitol Hill hearing on March 4, a Democratic lawmaker asked Noem under oath whether she had sexual relations with Lewandowski; Noem, who was accompanied by her husband, dismissed the question as "tabloid garbage" but did not say no, The Guardian reported. She was fired the next day, reportedly after Trump was angered by her answers about a taxpayer-funded publicity campaign promoting her image, which Noem told the committee Trump had approved, per The Guardian.

Noem was replaced as DHS secretary by Markwayne Mullin following a tenure that also drew criticism after she called Minneapolis protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were shot and killed during an immigration enforcement surge, "domestic terrorists," The Guardian reported. Since leaving the department, Noem has been named by Trump as special envoy to a U.S.-Latin America coalition called the "Shield of Americas," according to ABC News. Noem, 54, and Bryon Noem, 56, married in 1992 and have three adult children, named by E! News as Kassidy, 32, Kennedy, 29, and Booker, 24.