Buttigieg Refused Key Meetings During Parental Leave Despite Saying Otherwise, Docs Show
- January 12, 2023
James Lynch, Daily Caller
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg privately used his parental leave to refuse key meetings despite saying otherwise publicly, documents show.
Buttigieg told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Oct. 17 that “when you take a job like mine, you understand and accept that you’re going to have to be available 24/7,” in response to questions about why he did not publicly announce his paternity leave when his twins were born in August.
Watchdog group Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT) obtained the records through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Department of Transportation (DOT), according to PPT. Buttigieg was reportedly using his parental leave status to delay key meetings, including a call with Iowa GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley, according to newly released public records. Grassley’s office requested a meeting with Buttigieg about a Buy American waiver request for the I-74 bridge connecting Iowa and Illinois.