Fox News Anchor Challenges Buttigieg on Husband Chasten Mocking Kavanaugh for Fleeing Steakhouse
Fox News’ Mike Emanuel pressed Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg on whether he’s okay with how Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh had to be guided away from protesters during a recent night out.
The two spoke to each other on Fox News Sunday, where Emanuel brought up a tweet from Buttigieg’s husband, Chasten, who offered a snarky comment about Kavanugh’s forced exit through the backdoor of a Morton’s steakhouse where he was having dinner.
“Sounds like he just wanted some privacy to make his own dining decisions,” he said.
Sounds like he just wanted some privacy to make his own dining decisions. https://t.co/pAUiYqxIHT
— Chasten Buttigieg (@Chasten) July 8, 2022
Chasten Buttigieg’s comments are an obvious reference to Kavanaugh’s decision to side with the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe V. Wade and the roll back of abortion rights protections. Abortion advocates have been fiercely protesting against Kavanaugh for weeks, and the Morton’s incident comes while a liberal group has started offering bounties to anyone who dishes on the locations of the justices who helped strike down Roe.
Emanuel asked Buttigieg about his husband’s tweet.
“Is that appropriate, sir?” Emanuel said.
The transportation secretary responded that public officials “should always be free from violence, harassment and intimidation,” but “you’re never going to be free from criticism or peaceful protest, people exercising their First Amendment rights.”
“That’s what happened in this case,” Buttigieg continued. “Remember, the justice never even came into contact with these protesters. Reportedly didn’t see or hear them, and these protesters are upset because a right, an important right that the majority of Americans support, was taken away.”
Buttigieg continued to defend abortion activists over their right to peacefully protest, but Emanuel managed to get back to questioning him, asking “are you comfortable with protesters protesting when you and your husband go to dinner at a restaurant?”
“Protesting peacefully outside in a public space? Sure,” Buttigieg answered. “I can’t even tell you the number of spaces, venues, and scenarios where I’ve been protested and in the bottom line is this: any public figure should always always be free from violence, intimidation and harassment, but should never be free from criticism or people exercising their First Amendment rights.”
Watch above, via Fox News Sunday.
