Gov. Kristi Noem Claims Texas ‘Signed the Treaty That Formed the First Constitution’

Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem claimed on Friday that Texas was a signatory of a U.S. founding document many decades before Texas was granted statehood. She also suggested that a U.S. Supreme Court decision siding with the federal government is not final.

On Friday, the governor was in Eagle Pass, Texas, which Republicans have touted as an exemplar of the crisis at the southern border. Appearing on The Story on Fox News, Noem spoke with guest host Trace Gallagher, who asked her about this week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing federal agents to remove Texas-installed razor wire at the border. U.S. Border Patrol has said Texas is still preventing agents from entering the area.

“Do you worry, Governor, that Texas might be seen as defying the Supreme Court, defying the federal government – especially when Republicans mainly support the makeup of this Supreme Court?” Gallagher asked.

Noem responded by saying she believes there will be additional legal challenges regarding the issue even though the nation’s highest court has already ruled on the razor wire:

You know, it’s interesting, the decision that came out of the Supreme Court. They talked about the fact that Biden could take down concertina wire, razor wire. Texas will put it back up. I think there’ll be other legal challenges. But I’m proud of the fact that this state and 25 other governors are standing and declaring and protecting our state sovereignty.

She continued her response by falsely claiming Texas signed a treaty enacting the “first constitution”:

Texas and those 13 original colonies would’ve never signed the treaty that formed the first constitution of the United States if they didn’t think their right to protect themselves and defend their own people was protected. So, what Joe Biden is doing is threatening our state sovereignty.

By “first constitution,” Noem was presumably referring to the Articles of Confederation, which were signed in 1777 by the 13 existing states that declared independence from Britain the previous year. Texas was not admitted to the Union until 1845. The Articles of Confederation dissolved when the Constitution went into effect in 1789. Subsequently, states do not sign onto the Constitution as a precondition for admission into the Union. Congress simply votes on whether to admit new states.

Watch above via Fox News.