Future Retirement Success
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks

Future Retirement Success

Politics

Biden admin hit with lawsuit for stonewalling Pete Buttigieg’s government jet records

by June 15, 2023
June 15, 2023
Biden admin hit with lawsuit for stonewalling Pete Buttigieg’s government jet records

EXCLUSIVE: A government watchdog group is filing a federal lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), arguing the agency has stonewalled records detailing Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s use of private government jets.

The group, Americans for Public Trust (APT), said it has repeatedly requested FAA records detailing how often Buttigieg has used the agency’s small fleet of jets and the taxpayer costs associated with those flights. But, according to its lawsuit first seen by Fox News Digital, the FAA has improperly delayed producing the records on three separate information requests filed by APT.

‘Pete Buttigieg abused taxpayer dollars by using a private jet to fly domestically and internationally,’ Caitlin Sutherland, APT’s executive director, told Fox News Digital. ‘It’s been six months since we helped expose Secretary Buttigieg’s trips, but his agency refuses to tell the American people how much they’re on the hook for his extravagant travel arrangements.’

‘Buttigieg’s FAA has stonewalled and refused to adhere to the law for releasing public records, so we’re filing suit on behalf of all Americans who deserve to know how their money is being spent by this administration,’ she continued.

Overall, APT’s lawsuit highlighted that more than 100 days have elapsed since the FAA acknowledged it had received the group’s information requests.

The first request, filed in November, asked for all flight logs and passenger manifests of the three jets the FAA manages; the second request, filed on Jan. 9, asked for the FAA to identify every instance when a White House official, executive branch official or member of Congress used one of the jets; and the third request, filed two days later, extended the second to include any other FAA-managed jets.

APT noted that the FAA set multiple deadlines where it promised to provide the requested records, but failed to meet those deadlines. The agency has now indefinitely delayed the production of those records.

‘The FAA has not communicated with APT concerning whether the FAA will fulfill its FOIA requests since missing two self-imposed extended deadlines of May 1 and May 18, 2023,’ the lawsuit states. ‘Nor has the FAA provided any indication as to when APT can expect its requests to be processed.’ 

‘The only documents that the FAA has produced to APT were documents previously produced in response to a FOIA request from a different party, and the documents produced are not fully responsive to all three of APT’s requests,’ it adds. ‘APT accordingly brings this lawsuit to compel the FAA to immediately respond to APT’s FOIA requests and promptly disclose all responsive, non-exempt records.’

Under the Freedom of Information Act, federal agencies are required to provide requested records within 20 working days, or 30 working days if an extension is determined to be necessary. The requesting party is allowed to pursue legal action if a court determines it has exhausted its administrative remedies.

The lawsuit comes exactly six months after a Fox News Digital report that showed Buttigieg, a vocal proponent of sweeping climate measures, took at least 18 flights using the FAA’s taxpayer-funded private jets between early 2021 and mid-2022. The report identified the flights using Buttigieg’s internal calendar obtained by APT.

In one instance of his use of government-managed private jets, Buttigieg traveled roundtrip from Washington, D.C., to Las Vegas to promote public works projects in August 2021. In another example, Buttigieg used a jet to fly to multiple states — most of which have largely been considered swing states in elections — in August 2022 as part of a tour highlighting federal infrastructure grants.

Additional information obtained by Fox News Digital showed Buttigieg’s senior advisers took five other flights on the jets without him. 

The December report ultimately triggered the Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General to open an investigation into Buttigieg’s use of the FAA fleet in late February.

‘We welcome this independent audit moving forward in order to put some of the false, outlandish, and cynical claims about the Secretary’s mode of travel to rest. The fact remains that he flies commercially the vast majority of the time,’ a DOT spokesperson said at the time.

On Feb. 28, one day after the investigation was announced, Fox News Digital filed a request with the FAA related to Buttigieg’s use of government jets. The FAA first set a self-imposed deadline of April 28 and has since, like it has with APT’s requests, repeatedly delayed the production of those records.

Buttigieg’s predecessor Elaine Chao, who led the DOT throughout the Trump administration, was criticized after it was revealed she used government-managed planes on seven occasions in 2017, costing taxpayers about $94,000. 

Former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price was forced to resign after it was reported he had cost taxpayers more than $1 million using government jets.

Thomas Catenacci is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
GOP senators demand Biden comply with COVID origins transparency law as deadline approaches
next post
Abortion, Trump won’t hurt Republican turnout in 2024, says female GOP lawmaker

You may also like

Trump-Appointed Judge Strikes Down Federal School Mask and...

September 21, 2022

BREAKING: DOJ Asks Appeals Court to Block Judge...

September 17, 2022

Trump Rips Into “Dopey” Paul Ryan — “A...

October 18, 2022

PURE EVIL: Democrat Lawmaker Proposes ‘Boston Hijab Day’...

October 20, 2022

Fox News Poll: Obama, RFK Jr., and Taylor...

October 17, 2024

UN watchdog project calls on DOGE Caucus to...

April 2, 2025

Melania ‘going to be out a lot’ on...

February 25, 2024

DeSantis to join Fox News for Iowa town...

January 9, 2024

Republican Jewish Coalition disavows congressman-elect Santos amid string...

December 27, 2022

Comer fundraising email dampens prospects of Biden impeachment,...

March 27, 2024

    Get free access to all of the retirement secrets and income strategies from our experts! or Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get the Premium Articles Acess for Free

    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • Iran regime escalates repression toward ‘North Korea-style model of isolation and control’

      July 4, 2025
    • UK revealed as Europe’s worst country for commuters in new ranking

      July 4, 2025
    • This July 4th, a family waits: American hostage’s father pleads for son’s freedom from Hamas terrorists

      July 4, 2025
    • $88m methane-tracking satellite lost in space, dealing major blow to climate monitoring

      July 4, 2025
    • New US visa rules will force foreign students to unlock social media profiles

      July 4, 2025
    • The real Formula 1: British Grand Prix highlights UK’s £16bn motorsport economy

      July 4, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (8,393)
    • Investing (2,102)
    • Politics (15,945)
    • Stocks (3,189)
    • About us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: futureretirementsuccess.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 futureretirementsuccess.com | All Rights Reserved