Gingrich torches Buttigieg: 'Perfect symbol of incompetency protected by political standards'

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Newt Gingrich: If Biden was serious about our safety, Buttigieg would be gone by this evening

Former House speaker slams the transportation secretary as the 'perfect symbol of incompetency protected by political standards.'

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich calls out Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on "America Reports" Thursday for his "incompetence," saying that he would have been fired but he checks several boxes for the Biden administration.

NEWT GINGRICH: I think Buttigieg is a perfect example of the danger of setting up some kind of program that says we don't care how competent you are. We care whether or not you fit some box we've created. He happened to be, I think, perfect for the Biden administration because he was the kind of person who represented, for the gay community, a unique appointment. The problem was he's incompetent. It's not a question about his sexual orientation. It's a question about competence. 

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The Department of Transportation is an operating department. The airplanes have to fly. The trains have to move. The roads have to be built. And the ports have to operate. And what you have is a secretary of transportation whose peak experience was the part-time mayor of a small town. He has no possible ability to manage this huge, complex program. He proved it in the last few months when he didn't know how to respond to the problems that happened with one airline. 

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He didn't know how to respond when the entire air traffic control system was closed down for the first time since 9/11. Literally every plane in the country - grounded. He didn't know how to respond when we had a train wreck in a small town with a chemical fire. I mean, how many times, you know, in baseball, that's three strikes. How many times do you have to watch him to realize that Buttigieg is a PR agent? 

He goes around and flies here and there and makes speeches occasionally, but he doesn't have a clue how to actually run the Department of Transportation. For example, I was surprised to learn from him that there are a thousand derailments a year. Well, if that's true, what's our program to dramatically reduce that and to make it much easier and safer to respond to a derailment? 

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Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has faced heavy criticism for his response to train derailments in Ohio.

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I mean, if the Biden administration was serious about the safety of the American people and serious about the competence of our transportation system. Buttigieg would be gone by this evening. He's a perfect symbol of incompetency protected by political standards that, in fact, have no place in trying to run the government.