Former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell congratulated Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for becoming the second openly gay member of a presidential Cabinet.
“Congratulations to @PeteButtigieg on becoming the second openly gay member of a President’s Cabinet,” Grenell tweeted, following news that Buttigieg had been confirmed by the Senate. “Welcome to the club!”
Congratulations to @PeteButtigieg on becoming the second openly gay member of a President’s Cabinet.
Welcome to the club! pic.twitter.com/BbKK6iTBW1
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) February 2, 2021
Many news outlets celebrated the appointment of Buttigieg as the first time a gay man will serve in a presidential Cabinet without mentioning that Grenell was the first to do so under former President Donald Trump.
“With a vote of 86-13, the Senate has confirmed @PeteButtigieg as the Secretary of Transportation. He’s making history as the first openly LGBTQ cabinet secretary,” CBS White House correspondent Weijia Jiang reported.
“BREAKING: Pete Buttigieg is overwhelmingly confirmed as transportation secretary and, by a 86-to-13 vote, now becomes the first openly gay Cabinet member in American history,” Washington Post reporter Matt Viser wrote in a tweet that has since been deleted.
Grenell, an openly gay man, was appointed to Trump’s Cabinet as acting director of national intelligence in February 2020, roughly two years after being confirmed by the Senate as United States ambassador to Germany.
NBC News posted a corrected tweet saying Buttigieg was the first openly gay Cabinet member who he was confirmed by the Senate.
“Good for @nbcnews,” journalist Megyn Kelly tweeted. “Corrected their first tweet and here issued a factually sound one.”
Good for @nbcnews. Corrected their first tweet and here issued a factually sound one. https://t.co/ipgJIISWK3
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) February 3, 2021
Susan? Oh @Susan_Hennessey? P.s. good for @NBCNews. @RichardGrenell earned his honor and it should be respected. https://t.co/D1SBkKxtSf
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) February 3, 2021
“Media today getting around the problem of Pete Buttigieg not being the first openly gay Cabinet-level official (Trump nominated Richard Grenell) by stressing that he is the first *Senate-confirmed* one,” National Review’s Mairead McArdle tweeted.
Media today getting around the problem of Pete Buttigieg not being the first openly gay Cabinet-level official (Trump nominated Richard Grenell) by stressing that he is the first *Senate-confirmed* one
— Mairead McArdle (@JohnsonHildy) February 2, 2021
Buttigieg became the 19th Transportation secretary in U.S. history and will oversee the country’s highways, transit systems, pipelines, auto industry, and aviation industry.
