Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert was criticized by a prominent group of United States military veterans after she tried to blame Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) decision to ground thousands of flights across the country.
The FAA said in a statement a system that offers safety information to pilots failed.
But Boebert alleged Buttigieg is to blame, attributing the system error to the decision to "hire clueless liberals for jobs they aren't qualified to do."
You can see Boebert's tweet below.
Boebert's tweet quickly caught the attention of VoteVets, a political action committee (PAC) and 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that promotes progressive solutions to issues like housing, hunger and healthcare and is dedicated to electing veterans to public office.
VoteVets immediately shut Boebert down, pointing out Buttigieg "is a Rhodes Scholar, Harvard and Oxford alum, and served in Afghanistan for the U.S. Navy as an intelligence officer."
It added:
"If anyone is up for the task, it's him. He's, by far, extraordinarily qualified for his job. We can't say that for everyone in Washington."
You can see the organization's tweet below.
VoteVets' tweet soon went viral and prompted many to echo the organization's criticisms of Boebert.
Republicans have piled on Buttigieg in recent weeks as the aviation industry contends with the fallout from recent systemic failures that left travelers stranded and contributed to a crisis of confidence nationwide.
Last month, Buttigieg hit back at criticisms after Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee raised questions about his whereabouts in the wake of winter storms that wreaked havoc across the country and caused Southwest Airlines to cancel thousands of flights.
Southwest's string of cancelations opened the company up to federal scrutiny. House Republicans were quick to cast blame on Buttigieg for the crisis that disrupted holiday plans for hundreds of thousands of travelers nationwide.
Buttigieg was praised for a calm and measured response to attacks from Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee, saying the Department of Transportation (DOT) would "keep getting results for passengers using our authorities [and] resources as an agency."
