The Transportation Department is refusing to hand over private flight records for taxpayer-funded trips Secretary Pete Buttigieg took while in office, according to a conservative watchdog group suing for the files.
Americans for Public Trust (APT) said Wednesday that the Federal Aviation Administration has repeatedly missed deadlines to share Buttigieg’s flight logs and passenger records since the group first sought them last November.
Fox News first reported the FAA’s foot-dragging.
APT also sent follow-up requests in January for the names of members of Congress and the White House or other Biden administration officials who flew on FAA planes and for a list of the agency’s jets, The Post has confirmed.
No records have been produced even though a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request must be completed within 20 days of being filed — or 30 days if an extension is granted.
The Transportation Department is refusing to hand over private flight records for Secretary Pete Buttigieg, according to a conservative watchdog group that is suing for the files. Courier Journal / USA Today Network
“It is a sad irony that the FAA is wasting taxpayer dollars by scuttling our demand for records about Pete Buttigieg wasting taxpayer dollars,” said Americans for Public Trust executive director Caitlin Sutherland. Americans for Public Trust
Conservative watchdogs filed a lawsuit in June to provide transparency about costs to taxpayers.
“The misuse of government resources for travel that combines personal and official travel is a serious violation of the public trust,” Jason Torchinsky, who represents APT, said in the filing.
Early reports indicated Buttigieg jetted out for press interviews and visits to election battleground states as part of more than a dozen trips since taking office — far more than his predecessor.
The FAA has found 32 records for the group so far but declined to share them until Oct. 31. 2023.Getty Images/iStockphoto
Buttigieg has also embraced President Biden’s “whole of government approach” to climate change, including a move toward electric-powered vehicles, but has yet to address concerns about rising carbon dioxide emissions from private and non-commercial air travel.
APT met with federal officials in June but claimed it had been misled about the FAA’s progress in compiling relevant records.
Justice Department attorney Bradley Silverman later informed the watchdog that the process had not begun and that the FAA found the request “too burdensome,” according to APT executive director Caitlin Sutherland.
Buttigieg, 41, has traveled in at least two Cessna 560XL planes managed by the Federal Aviation Administration to Nevada, Florida, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Ohio, and New Hampshire.Samuel Corum – Pool via CNP / DPA Picture Alliance / Avalon
“It is a sad irony that the FAA is wasting taxpayer dollars by scuttling our demand for records on Pete Buttigieg wasting taxpayer dollars,” Sutherland said in a statement.
“Despite repeatedly promising they would turn over the records, and then repeatedly missing that deadline, we now have evidence that the FAA did not meaningfully implement our requests until we filed a lawsuit,” he added.
The Department of Transportation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In February, the Transportation Department’s Office of the Inspector General launched an investigation into Buttigieg’s use of an FAA private jet.Getty Images
The FAA has found 32 responsive records so far, but has declined to share them until October 31. The agency has passed the deadline and is requesting an extension to produce the records, according to federal court filings.
“After waiting for more than a year, we have now been told the FAA needs almost 3 more months to review and produce only 32 pages documenting Pete Buttigieg’s private jet travel,” Sutherland added. “This raises serious concerns about the political meddling this administration is willing to do to hide the truth from the public.”
APT revealed last December that Buttigieg had flown at least 18 times on a taxpayer-funded private jet since taking office, citing government schedules he obtained.
Former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao flew the same fleet seven times in 2017, at a cost to taxpayers of about $94,000, according to a Politico report.Getty Images for Concordia
Buttigieg, 41, has traveled in at least two FAA-managed Cessna 560XL planes to Nevada, Florida, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Ohio, and New Hampshire for department work, many of which are swing states.
He also traveled to Montreal, Canada, in September 2022 to attend the International Civil Aviation Organization conference. Five of his senior advisers have also taken the flight without him.
In February, the Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General launched an investigation into Buttigieg’s use of an FAA private jet.
Former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao flew the same fleet seven times in 2017, costing taxpayers around $94,000, according to a Politico report.
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price resigned that same year after running up a $1.2 million tab for 26 private jet flights.
Buttigieg may have cost taxpayers $5,000 an hour to fly on the jet, according to a Washington Post analysis of Chao and Price’s trips at the time.
White House special envoy for climate John Kerry has also come under fire for using a private jet to travel around the world.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
