The transport secretary was asked on Fox News Sunday whether Chasten Buttigieg’s post on Twitter was appropriate, in which he wrote: “Sounds like he just wanted some privacy to make his own food decisions.” Mr Buttigieg acknowledged that public servants “must always be free of violence”, but said they would never be immune to criticism and peaceful protests. “Remember, justice never came into contact with these protesters, it is said that he did not see or hear them. And these protesters are upset because a right has been taken away, an important right that the majority of Americans support.” Mr. Buttigieg said that as one of six conservative justices who voted to overturn Roe v Wade, Justice Kavanaugh took away a woman’s right to choose while also “taking away the right to privacy.” “For as long as I’ve been alive, the settled case law in the United States has been that the Constitution protects the right to privacy, and that has now been thrown out the window by judges, including Judge Kavanaugh, who, as I recall, swore more or less before the God and everyone, including the United States Congress, that they were going to leave settled case law alone. “Well, yes, people are upset. They will exercise their First Amendment rights.” Fox News host Mike Emmanuel tried to interrupt several times as Mr Buttigieg spoke as the Transport Secretary continued to politely but firmly talk over him. Pete Buttigieg appeared on Fox News Sunday with Mike Emmanuel (Fox News) Clips of the interview attracted millions of views in just a few hours on social media, with users praising Mr Buttigieg’s calm, clean delivery. “I thought Rupert Murdoch owned Fox News, but I keep seeing Pete Buttigieg own it every week,” wrote podcast host Brett Meiselas. Cheryl Coston applauded the former presidential candidate’s “clever and precise” statements. “While he’s always polite, he doesn’t let the host interrupt him when he doesn’t like his point of view.” Author Steve Beschloss said no one comes close to Mr Buttigieg “in his ability to articulate issues in clear and vivid language, including Fox News”. On Wednesday night, Judge Cavanaugh snuck out the back of Morton’s the Steakhouse in Washington DC to avoid abortion rights protesters who had received a tip that he was eating there. “The Honorable Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh and all of our other restaurant patrons were unreasonably harassed by unruly protesters while dining at our Morton’s restaurant,” the restaurant said in a statement to Politico. The restaurant later reported an increase in fake dining reservations.
