A CNN anchor confronted Transportation Department Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Democrats meddling in Republican primaries on Thursday’s “New Day.”
Anchor John Avlon asked Buttigieg about his position on Democrats facilitating the victories of election deniers in the Republican primaries. Buttigieg said he cannot comment on political matters.
“Look, I’m appearing today as a member of the executive branch,” he said. “I can’t comment on campaigns or decisions made by political parties. What I will say is that right now, we’ve got a track record to be proud of and I believe that good policy is good politics. We’re going to focus on continuing to deliver and I think constituents in every part of the country are going to notice that.”
“‘Good policy is good politics,'” Avlon said. “Well, I think sometimes decency can also be the most practical form of politics and I’m sure you’d agree at a different capacity.”
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and Democratic Governors’ Association (DGA) have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to benefit Republican candidates backed by former President Donald Trump and those denying the results of the 2020 presidential election in an attempt to boost their own chances of winning in the general elections.
The DGA spent more than $821,000 on campaign ads in support of candidates further to the right of the spectrum to beat out the moderates, The Wall Street Journal reported. The organization is hopeful that the Republican Maryland gubernatorial candidate will beat out the moderate incumbent, Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan. (RELATED: CNN Panel Rips Dems For ‘Meddling’ In GOP Primaries To Boost Pro-Trump Candidates)
Trump-endorsed congressional candidate John Gibbs defeated his incumbent challenger, Republican Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer, in Tuesday’ race following the DCCC spending nearly $450,000 into ads supporting Gibbs in the last two weeks of the race.
Several Democratic members of Congress condemned the meddling of Republican primaries by the DCCC and DGA.
“I’m disgusted that hard-earned money intended to support Democrats is being used to boost Trump-endorsed candidates, particularly the far-right opponent of one of the most honorable Republicans in Congress, @RepMeijer,” Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota posted on Twitter.
“I just really worry about promoting election deniers and this idea that we’re going to be able to control what voters want at the end of the day,” Democratic Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal told Politico.
“Democrats, who want you to believe they are dedicated to protecting democracy, are meddling in a primary to oust one of the few Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after Jan 6th,” Krystal Ball, a former Democratic congressional candidate, tweeted.