The State Department denied reports that Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry traveled via private plane to attend the 60th birthday party of former President Barack Obama.
Although reports claimed Kerry flew privately to Obama’s Saturday evening soiree, which was scaled back amid concerns over the delta variant, a state department representative told the Washington Examiner that he lives there, traveled via ferry, and did not go for the party.
“Secretary Kerry lives on Martha’s Vineyard, he did not travel there for a party. He took a ferry to Martha’s Vineyard, he did not fly commercial or private,” a state department spokesperson said.
Kerry’s use of private air travel often evokes criticism from those on the Right, who say the mode of transport exposes Kerry’s hypocrisy as he pushes for policy initiatives aimed at combating climate change.
A photo published by the Daily Mail, for a story about Obama’s birthday bash, appeared to show Kerry getting off a transport, although the zoomed shot made the type of vessel unclear. A separate photo showed Kerry walking through a gate that had a sign for Martha’s Vineyard Airport. Neither photo was dated.
“To John Kerry, global warming is an existential threat that means hundreds of thousands of Americans must lose their jobs,” Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton said. “But it’s not quite serious enough to put away his private jets. What a fraud.”
BIDEN TO SKIP OBAMA’S 60TH BIRTHDAY BASH
“Presidential envoy for climate John Kerry took a private jet to the island of Martha’s Vineyard”
Of course he did. https://t.co/6lElfesFZN
— Alyssa Farah (@Alyssafarah) August 7, 2021
Hey, @JohnKerry – JetBlue has direct flights from DCA to Martha’s Vineyard.
Lower your carbon footprint! Fly commercial! ✈️
— Alyssa Farah (@Alyssafarah) August 7, 2021
John Kerry, who said the American public isn’t doing enough to cut carbon emissions, flew a private jet to Obama’s private party. I hate hypocrites
— Travis (@TWines4congress) August 7, 2021
Joe Biden’s Climate Czar John Kerry took a private jet to Barack Obama’s birthday party.
When will Greta Thunberg be calling him out?
— Lance Gooden (@Lancegooden) August 7, 2021
The Kerry family private jet has been used 16 times since January, Fox News reported on Saturday, though a State Department spokesperson told the outlet that Kerry himself wasn’t on any of those flights.
“Secretary Kerry travels commercially or via military air in his role as Special Presidential Envoy for Climate,” the spokesperson added.
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The former senator previously defended his use of private air travel, saying in 2019, “If you offset your carbon, it’s the only choice for somebody like me, who is traveling the world to win this battle.”
Before President Joe Biden named him the first-ever climate envoy, Kerry served as secretary of state under the Obama administration and was a senator from Massachusetts.
