(TheRedWire.com) – Fox News Digital has obtained internal communications from the Biden administration, which show that officials had struggled to respond to the information requests related to the government jet usage of Pete Buttigieg, the Transportation secretary.
The communications show that officials in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) independent office who are responsible for responding to Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests had needed to ask both a senior FAA official who President Biden specifically appointed to handle requests and Buttigieg’s spokesperson to find a way to rearrange the data in a way that would not show how much the flights have cost taxpayers.
Government watchdog group Americans for Public Trust executive director Caitlin Sutherland argued that it was becoming increasingly evident that the Biden administration had deliberately meddled politically to help protect Buttigieg and how much his private jet travel had cost American taxpayers. She added that they continued to be dismissive of public disclosure laws and to follow the Biden administration’s unofficial motto: “Rules for thee, but not for me.”
According to a Fox News Digital report from December, Buttigieg had taken 18 private flights using an FAA-managed fleet that is usually only available to government officials in cases where commercial flying options are not feasible. This information was uncovered through flight tracking data and verified when cross-examined against Buttifief’s internal calendar, which the Americans for Public Trust had obtained. After the report, the administration requested additional information and the costs of all flights that FAA planes have logged since 2021. However, the Department of Transportation’s FOIA office has delayed abiding by the information request.
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