Chasten Buttigieg, the husband of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, is back under fire after former Vice President Mike Pence mocked her husband’s paternity leave.
“An honest question for you,” Chasten Buttigieg tweeted, tagging Pence, “after your attempted joke this weekend. If your grandchild was born prematurely and put on a ventilator at two months – their tiny fingers wrapping around you as monitors blare in the background – where would you be?
Pence drew backlash after he joked Saturday night at the Gridiron dinner for reporters in Washington, DC, that Pete Buttigieg had taken “maternity leave” at the start of the Biden administration. Pointing to flight and travel disruptions in recent months, she added that Buttigieg “is the only person in human history who has a baby and everyone else suffers from postpartum depression.”
Buttigieg and her husband welcomed twins Gus and Penelope in September 2021. The Cabinet official took parental leave at the time to be with her newborns. The couple later revealed that the children had overcome serious health problems after contracting a respiratory virus. Gus was placed on a ventilator in a pediatric intensive care unit.
“I’ll leave this here if you want to know more about the kids you’re so eager to use as a reference point,” Chasten Buttigieg added in her first tweet, sharing a link to her husband’s Medium article about his treatment medical. to Penelope and Gus. battles
Pete Buttigieg has been heavily criticized by some Republicans and right-wing figures like Tucker Carlson for taking time off to be with his children as the crisis in the national supply chain continued. Buttigieg defended his choice and said he was available remotely 24/7 for important decisions during the period.
The White House press secretary on Monday criticized Pence for his comment.
“They should apologize to women and LGBTQ+ people,” said Karine Jean-Pierre.
Marc Short, an adviser to Pence and his former chief of staff, responded to the criticism on Twitteraccusing the Biden administration of “false contempt” and “policing justice.”
Pence, an evangelical Christian, served as governor of Indiana for four years of Buttigieg’s tenure as mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Pence is reportedly considering a run for president in 2024.
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