Well… this kind of surprised me.
The Pete Buttigeg ‘Scandal’ No One Is Allowed to Investigate
Pete Buttigieg Keeps His Wings as Congress Downs Bill Over Travel Allowance: Ten Republicans helped Democrats beat back an effort to clip Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s wings.
The House of Representatives defeated an amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorization bill offered by Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., by a 219-216 margin. The legislation would have required Pete Buttigieg to report his flight records publicly.
Those voting against the legislation included: House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves, R-Mo., and GOP Reps. Troy Balderson, Jack Bergman, Brian Fitzpatrick, Garret Graves, David Joyce, Jennifer Kiggans, Marcus Molinaro, and Brandon Williams.
“Earlier this morning, Rep. Balderson submitted paperwork to the Clerk of the House to inform her that his intended vote was ‘AYE’, in favor of government transparency and reining in out-of-control spending,” Balderson spokesman Kyle Chance told Fox News Digital.
Hill Pressure Leads to Investigation
The Transportation Department’s Inspector General launched an investigation in February in response to a complaint by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, also raised the issue of Buttigieg’s use of government planes in a January letter.
“These include flights to what some describe as a list of presidential swing states, as well as a flight to New York for a radio interview and two brief meetings, one with the president of the ACLU and another with DOT employees. It is difficult to see how these trips, and perhaps others, required use of expensive non-commercial travel. For example, many commercial travel options exist between Washington and New York. Moreover, radio interviews presumably can be done by calling in to the program or picked up a phone to talk to, create questions about whether you really required the use of a private jet, especially as you call on Americans to sacrifice to reduce carbon emission,” Grassley wrote.