Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently downplayed Washington, D.C.’s crime problems, saying there’s a lot of “energy” going into making the nation’s capital seem far worse than it is.
“We need to talk about the reality here,” Buttigieg said during a Sunday MSNBC appearance. “There’s a lot of funding and a lot of energy going into telling a different story in news outlets and online.”
“But the simple facts and the simple reality are right here staring us in the face, including the fact I can safely walk my dog to the Capitol today in a way you couldn’t do when we all got here,” he said.
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Pete Buttigieg, US transportation secretary, visits a shipping terminal at the Honmoku pier in Yokohama, Japan, on Monday, June 19, 2023. Buttigieg said the US must take steps to cut into Chinas advantage in batteries used to power electric vehicles, saying building the refining capacity for key materials is “addressable.” Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg (Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Buttigieg, however, is provided with security details due to this position with the government.
When he made the comments on Sunday, there was a quadruple shooting around six miles southwest of the Capitol building, Fox 5 reported. And just days before, a woman was caught in crossfire in southeast D.C. but was not injured.
Meanwhile, the nation’s capital has experienced soaring crime rates as its leaders have attempted to alleviate anxiety.
Democrat D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson told the House Committee on Oversight last year that while there are significant concerns regarding crime, residents should not worry.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is once again in the national spotlight over his delay in visiting the site of a train derailment in Ohio. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
According to data from the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, crime rates in the city exponentially increased last year from 2022.
Homicides, for example, increased by nearly 35 percent, while robberies were up 67 percent. Violent crime as a whole shot up by almost 40 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year.
The data also show that violent crime rates have decreased as of April 8 since the same time last year.
The Department of Transportation did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Buttigieg’s remarks.