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EXCLUSIVE: A government watchdog group is filing a federal lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), arguing the agency has stonewalled records detailing Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s use of private government jets.
The group, Americans for Public Trust (APT), said it has repeatedly requested FAA records detailing how often Buttigieg has used the agency’s small fleet of jets and the taxpayer costs associated with those flights. But, according to its lawsuit first seen by Fox News Digital, the FAA has improperly delayed producing the records on three separate information requests filed by APT.
“Pete Buttigieg abused taxpayer dollars by using a private jet to fly domestically and internationally,” Caitlin Sutherland, APT’s executive director, told Fox News Digital. “It’s been six months since we helped expose Secretary Buttigieg’s trips, but his agency refuses to tell the American people how much they’re on the hook for his extravagant travel arrangements.”
“Buttigieg’s FAA has stonewalled and refused to adhere to the law for releasing public records, so we’re filing suit on behalf of all Americans who deserve to know how their money is being spent by this administration,” she continued.
BUTTIGIEG STONEWALLS KEY INFORMATION ON 23 GOVT JET TRIPS AMID INSPECTOR GENERAL PROBE
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks during an event in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 13. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Overall, APT’s lawsuit highlighted that more than 100 days have elapsed 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 manifests of the three jets the FAA manages; the second request, filed on Jan. 9, asked for the FAA to identify every instance when a White House official, executive branch official or member of Congress used one of the jets; and the third request, filed two days later, extended the second to…
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