The noted homophobe Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is critical of Pete Buttigieg's use of government aircraft, saying he's flying to receive awards "for the way people have sex."
Transportation officials also said the total cost of Buttigieg’s flights on FAA planes up to that time was about $42,000. Chao took 15 FAA flights early in the Trump administration, and the cost of just one of them, which was international, was nearly $69,000, the Post reports.
It's good both are being investigated, but definitely seems like Pete's isn't that big of a deal compared to what Republicans do
I’m not convinced it is a good thing that both are being investigated if the investigation into Buttigieg is just political smearing. HRC’s emails show the cost of abusive investigations. Investigations aren’t cost free, either monetarily or in terms of public trust in institutions. It implies he did something worth investigating, and devalues the seriousness of real investigations, like those against Trump.
When the review was announced, Buttigieg had flown on FAA planes 18 times out of 138 flights for official trips since becoming secretary early in 2021, according to The Washington Post. He takes commercial flights most of the time, and when he uses FAA aircraft, it’s usually because it’s cheaper than commercial flights, a Department of Transportation spokeswoman said.
This does not seem to be something worth investigating.
If they investigate him, and everything is cool, then it's cool... Which is what the article sounds like.
If he's abusing it, just to a much smaller degree, then that's still an issue.
Like, that's the whole point of not just holding people from your "own team" accountable. If someone might be doing something wrong, you investigate them no matter who they are.
Do you think an investigation means a huge thing where he testifies in front of Congress? That's not an investigation.
The problem with investigating false allegations, aside from the waste of tax payer money, is that the damage is done in the beginning of the investigation. The fascist talking points are now about excessive spending from the Democrats. They won't even bother retracting statements when they are found to be false.
Whats wrong is this is retaliation by Republicans. Did you read the article? They're framing it as taxpayers paying for Peter to receive gay sex awards. Does that sound like a pressing issue? Or a real thing to you? Does that sound worthy of investigation? The Avengers should have never stopped Thanos.
They’re framing it as taxpayers paying for Pete ro receive gay sex awards.
If I said Donald Trump cheated on his taxes to fund the cloning of hitler in the hollow core of the Earth, that doesn't mean we shouldn't do anything about him cheating on his taxes....
I feel like I'm going crazy here, I don't get why I'm not be clearer here.
I think you're looking at it from a rational view. However, most people don't actually look into things and instead just read headlines and make assumptions from there. They should absolutely look into any type of fraud, waste, and abuse but generally it is done behind closed doors. The only reason this is being broadcast out to the world, despite there being seemingly overwhelming evidence of no wrong doing, is to create headlines and a PERCEPTION of wrong doing. That perception is all they care about because to their constituents perception is reality.
It’s not just this case. This is a much wider pattern from the republicans to waste taxpayer money investigating things that they have no need to be involved in.
The same idea applies to the hunter Biden probe. It’s politically motivated investigations that don’t need to be done, but are done because the republicans can use taxpayer money to hash out their problems.
Nobody is saying this specific audit cost millions of dollars, but it certainly cost a whole lot more than just the salary of a single person for a few hours.
The GOP goal here is not to let a GS employee spend an afternoon on this. That wouldn't accomplish anything; the accusations would continue unhindered by such lack of evidence. Except now, they can cite the fact that an accusation failed to find anything as PROOF of malfeasance.
The goal is to create a huge spectacle to use for campaigning. To waste time, distract from their own inept governance, and smear political enemies. To promote conspiracy theory.
I am not against holding “my own team” accountable if there is some valid reason to think there is something worth investigating. If there isn’t, it is a witch hunt, and witch hunts are harmful. They can be used to harass, waste time, and slander by vague insinuation. More to the point, the public has finite attention. News of pointless investigations can be used strategically to drown out real ones, which is a threat to democracy. That is, I believe, what Republicans are presently doing.
Yeah, but when you have obvious and public cases of MASSIVE corruption in “your own team” and you fail to adress that… instead gojng after any “petty” corruption in the other team…
Either way you slice it, republicans are patently and blatantly corrupt and only going after democrats because they’re democrats.
So?
Literally who cares what they're doing. Dems should be investigating everyone regardless of party.
Otherwise no Dem will ever be held accountable, because Republicans are completely incompetent. It won't take long of that for grifters to take over both parties.
Holding everyone accountable shouldn't be a controversy statement.
held accountable for...what, exactly? having a big cock? or having a job? or, Biden doing business after leaving the whitehouse? Or Pete Travelling? Literally none of these house investigations- which are being done by REPUBLICANS- are being conducted in good faith. it's partisan politics, and it's a massive waste of time. Because Democrats do hold their own accountable where republicans absolutely do not.
There is zero evidence of corruption here- or else it would be moved to criminal courts- See, for example, Senator Menendez.
But yes, if he used government private flights when he should have paid for his own travel.
It doesn't matter if Republicans abuse it more. Democrats are supposed to be the adults in the room. And adults don't get to get away with stuff just because the toddler threw shit on the walls.
If he didn't do anything wrong, then it's very easy to prove. There's all types of records for this stuff and a GS6 could put a report together in an afternoon.
If he didn’t do anything wrong, then it’s very easy to prove. There’s all types of records for this stuff and a GS6 could put a report together in an afternoon.
There’s zero reason not to do that
And there's no reason to waste the House of Representatives time with a floor hearing or panel, either. Because either he did or didn't. And if he did, it would have been shouted at from the rooftops rather than dragging out meetings. So we both know he didn't. Then there's the $1 salary thing which is just Greene dicking around because... they have nothing else they can do.
It doesn’t matter if Republicans abuse it more. Democrats are supposed to be the adults in the room. And adults don’t get to get away with stuff just because the toddler threw shit on the walls.
Just re-read what you just said. "it doesn't matter if Republicans [are corrupt assholes]. Demcorats are not supposed to be [corrupt assholes] and [not-corrupt assholes] don't get to get away with [being corrupt assholes]." I don't know about you, but I'd like to have a congress that isn't filled halfway with blatantly corrupt assholes that seem to be doing everything in their power to fuck over Americans. maybe that's just me.
The problem is, Republicans don't tell the truth. When you actually press the investigative committee into Hunter Biden about the evidence they have, they'll quietly murmur there isn't any. But otherwise, they'll very loudly suggest they have evidence and outright lie.
As usual, republicans try to make democrats doing something normal seem like a huge scandalous deal while they and their sleazy-ass media hyenas entirely ignore what “their side” did or does.