Staff Reports
On Tuesday evening, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg had a confrontation with Daily Caller News Foundation investigative reporter Jennie Taer. The incident has caused a stir on Twitter, with many users criticizing the Secretary for taking a shot of the reporter.
Why did the Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg need a picture of a member of our FREE press? Is he trying to be funny… or is something else at play here? Targeting? Journalists are allowed to speak with public officials who are in public. #politereporter https://t.co/3fjYlEFkk3
— HARRISFAULKNER (@HARRISFAULKNER) February 22, 2023
Taer initiated the event by inquiring if Buttigieg had any words for the inhabitants of East Palestine, Ohio, where a train accident occurred, causing a hazardous chemical spill. Buttigieg directed her to his earlier statements in press interviews and subsequently snapped a picture of Taer.
Dear @SecretaryPete:
Why did you ask to take a photo of a reporter questioning you?
You’re a government official.
She has a 1st Amendment right to question you on a public sidewalk.
And you had your federal protective detail with you.
So you can’t claim you felt threatened. https://t.co/to8mmVLmLY
— 🇺🇸 Mike Davis 🇺🇸 (@mrddmia) February 22, 2023
This is absolutely unacceptable. Every journalist and news host should take Pete Buttigieg to task for this attempted intimidation of a journalist. Who holds him accountable and who ignores this will say a LOT about the state of the media. @jaketapper @andersoncooper @donlemon
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) February 22, 2023
.@SecretaryPete tonight in DC. https://t.co/xDSgp6f4wo pic.twitter.com/O9rM0OGD73
— Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) February 22, 2023
Harris Faulkner, a host on Fox News, expressed on Twitter that members of the press have the freedom to converse with public officials who are in public places and questioned the necessity of Buttigieg photographing a member of the press. Mike Davis, from the Article III Project, also shared his thoughts on the event on Twitter, stating that Taer had the constitutional right under the First Amendment to approach Buttigieg on a public sidewalk and ask questions.
Some social media users criticized Buttigieg’s intentions, with one going as far as calling the photograph “creepy.” Stephanie Hamill, who serves as an ambassador for Turning Point USA and writes for the Media Research Center, shared her opinion that Buttigieg’s actions were inappropriate and amounted to an effort to intimidate a member of the press.
Robbie Starbuck, who once ran for Congress as a Republican candidate, tweeted that how the media reacts to this event will reveal a great deal about the current state of the media. Some users on social media commended Taer’s journalism, while others utilized the situation to create memes and ridicule Buttigieg.
The incident has brought attention to the train derailment near East Palestine, Ohio, which occurred on February 3rd. Since then, Buttigieg has come under fire for his handling of the derailment, including not discussing it in public until posting a thread on Twitter on February 13th. On that same day, he also expressed concern about the demographics of construction workers.
The confrontation between Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Daily Caller News Foundation investigative reporter Jennie Taer has sparked an uproar on Twitter. Many users have criticized Buttigieg for taking a photo of the reporter and questioned his motives. The incident has also brought attention to the train derailment near East Palestine, Ohio and Buttigieg’s handling of the situation. It remains to be seen how the media will respond to this incident and what impact it will have on Buttigieg’s reputation.
The preceding article is a summary of an article that originally appeared on The Daily Caller
