CLAIM: Nobody who is criticizing Secretary Pete Buttigieg did so when Elaine Chao was transportation secretary.
VERDICT: MOSTLY FALSE. Many conservatives scrutinized Chao and some indeed called for her to be fired.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre attempted to defend Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg on Thursday by claiming that he was the victim of “a lot of bad faith attacks.”
Buttigieg, a former mayor and Navy reservist with a Harvard and McKinsey pedigree, was once presented as the epitome of competence. But faced with a cargo crisis, rail labor disputes, and derailments, he has often been absent.
The latest criticism is that Buttigieg failed to visit East Palestine, Ohio, the site of a major derailment and toxic chemical release, until nearly three weeks had passed — and former President Donald Trump had visited first.
Jean-Pierre tried to…
