(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Questions have risen about Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s activities leading up to the Baltimore bridge collapse in the early morning hours of Tuesday.
The Heritage Foundation is seeking answers from the U.S. Department of Transportation regarding Buttigieg’s schedule in the weeks preceding the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, which occurred after a cargo ship struck it.
Heritage’s Oversight Project issued a letter on Tuesday demanding that the Biden administration disclose Buttigieg’s calendar communications and actions from March 16 through March 26, the period when the bridge collapsed and left six people presumed dead.
The request, submitted under the Freedom of Information Act, reflects growing criticism of Buttigieg for what many perceive as a focus on identity politics rather than infrastructure issues in the United States.
The Heritage letter states, “Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C 552, and the implementing FOIA regulations of the 49 CFR Part 7, I respectfully request the following records from Secretary Peter Paul Montgomery ‘Pete’ Buttigieg.”
We are officially calling on Pete Buttigieg to release his calendar and emails for the week leading up to this horrific incident.
America deserves a Transportation Secretary focused on safety, not divisive politics https://t.co/ZRCKLkgEhM pic.twitter.com/4AZUAw38HB
— Oversight Project (@OversightPR) March 26, 2024
The further elaborated, “Specifically, we are requesting the secretary’s calendar, and his sent emails from March 18, 2024 through March 26, 2024.”
Criticism directed at Buttigieg intensified with the circulation of a video where he defended an earlier budget addressing alleged racism in infrastructure design.
In the video, Buttigieg is seen speaking from the White House press briefing room, stating, “If an underpass was constructed such that a bus carrying mostly blacks or Puerto Rican kids to a beach (or would’ve been) in New York, was design too low to pass by, that obviously reflects racism when it took those design choices.”
He added, “I don’t think we have anything to lose by confronting that simple reality and I think we have everything to gain by acknowledging it and then dealing with it.”
Don’t worry, folks.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is focused on… solving racist bridges, roads, highways, and tunnels. pic.twitter.com/WxygVqyIPR
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) March 26, 2024
Critics juxtaposed these remarks with the catastrophic collapse of the Maryland bridge, raising concerns about whether the federal government, including Buttigieg, is prioritizing the right issues.
Buttigieg, an openly gay man, has emphasized diversity and other aspects of identity politics throughout his tenure.
