Global Courant
EXCLUSIVE: A government watchdog group is filing a federal lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), alleging that the agency blocked data on Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s use of government private jets.
The group, Americans for Public Trust (APT), said it has repeatedly requested FAA data on how often Buttigieg has used the agency’s small fleet and taxpayer costs associated with those flights. But according to the lawsuit Fox News Digital first saw, the FAA improperly delayed producing the records on three separate information requests filed by APT.
“Pete Buttigieg misused taxpayer money by using a private jet to fly domestically and internationally,” APT executive director Caitlin Sutherland told Fox News Digital. “It’s been six months since we helped expose Secretary Buttigieg’s travels, but his agency refuses to tell the American people how much they’re on the hook for his extravagant travel arrangements.”
“The Buttigieg FAA has refused to comply with the public record release law, so we are filing a lawsuit on behalf of all Americans who deserve to know how their money is being spent by this government,” she continued.
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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks at an event in Washington, DC, on Feb. 13. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Overall, APT’s lawsuit highlighted that more than 100 days have passed 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 lists from the three jets the FAA controls; the second request, filed Jan. 9, asked the FAA to identify any instance in which a White House official, executive branch official or congressman used one of the jets; and the third request, filed two days later, expanded the second to include all other FAA-operated jets.
APT noted that the FAA had set multiple deadlines where it promised to provide the requested data, but failed to meet those deadlines. The agency has now postponed production of those plates indefinitely.
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“The FAA has not communicated with APT whether the FAA will comply with its FOIA requests since missing two self-imposed extended deadlines of May 1 and May 18, 2023,” the lawsuit states. “The FAA has also not provided any indication of when APT can expect to process its requests.”
“The only documents the FAA provided to APT were documents previously produced in response to another party’s FOIA request, and the documents produced do not fully respond to all three of APT’s requests,” it adds. “APT accordingly is filing this lawsuit to compel the FAA to immediately respond to APT’s FOIA requests and promptly disclose all responsive non-exempt documents.”
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, left, and Chasten Buttigieg attend a reception ahead of the start of the Invictus Games on April 15, 2022 in The Hague, Netherlands. The couple took a military plane to the event. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation)
Under the Freedom of Information Act, federal agencies are required to provide requested information within 20 business days, or 30 business days if an extension is determined to be necessary. The requesting party may take legal action if a court determines that its administrative remedies have been exhausted.
The lawsuit comes exactly six months after a Fox News Digital report found that Buttigieg, an outspoken proponent of sweeping climate action, made at least 18 flights on 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-operated private jets, Buttigieg traveled round-trip from Washington, D.C. to Las Vegas in August 2021 promoting public works projects. In another example, Buttigieg used a jet to fly to multiple states, most of which were largely considered swing states in elections — in August 2022 as part of a tour emphasizing federal infrastructure grants.
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Additional information obtained by Fox News Digital revealed that Buttigieg’s senior advisors had made five other flights on the jets without him.
Buttigieg and his advisers have flown at least 23 flights on taxpayer-funded government jets since taking office. (Michael M.Santiago/Getty Images)
The December report eventually prompted 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 in the future to lay to rest some of the false, bizarre and cynical claims made about the Minister’s mode of travel. The fact remains that he flies commercially most of the time,” said a DOT official. spokesman. at the time.
On February 28, a 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 itself an April 28 deadline and, as with APT’s requests, has since repeatedly delayed the production of those documents.
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Elaine Chao, Buttigieg’s predecessor, who led the DOT during the Trump administration, was criticized after it was revealed that she used government-owned aircraft seven times in 2017, costing taxpayers about $94,000.
Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price was forced to resign after it was revealed that he had cost taxpayers more than $1 million using government jets.
Thomas Catenacci is a political writer for Fox News Digital.
