WASHINGTON—With watchdog groups decrying yet another instance of corruption by high-placed government officials, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg was reportedly under fire Thursday for using federal funds for rides on a gilded handcar. “Government documents show that in the year 2022 alone, Secretary Buttigieg used over $12 million of taxpayer money for the personal use of a luxury government pump trolley,” wrote ProPublica journalist Bethany Pace, whose investigation found that the head of the U.S. Department of Transportation, his aides, and even his family used lavish government handcars for personal travel across the country. “Like many other U.S. officials, Secretary Buttigieg is showing his contempt for American taxpayers by wasting their hard-earned money on frivolous handcar excursions. Agency documents show that the secretary and several transportation industry lobbyists hand-cranked the gold-covered, diamond-encrusted handcar for three separate weekend trips. This is a flagrant disregard for the standards of his office, and he should not expect everyday Americans to foot the bill for posh overnight getaways on the rails with his family. He should be taking public handcars like everyone else.” Buttigieg was also accused of misusing government funds on lavish private dinners, including one banquet last fall where he and several other agency officials reportedly consumed over $500,000 of salt pork, hardtack, and cowboy coffee.
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