Records Show Pete Buttigieg Ducked Calls, Public Appearances On Leave During Supply Chain Crisis
- January 13, 2023
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg ducked phone calls and public appearances while on a generous eight-week paid paternity leave amid infrastructure talks on Capitol Hill and a historic supply chain crisis.
According to documents made public by a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from Protect the Public’s Trust, a nonprofit government watchdog, that were shared with the Washington Examiner Thursday, Buttigieg steered clear of multiple official duties in the fall of 2021. Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten, adopted newborn twins in early September of that year.
According to documents unearthed by Protect the Public’s Trust, Buttigieg continued to abdicate his cabinet-level duties, citing his paternity leave as the reason for turning down an invitation to an Illinois bridge opening and a discussion with the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.