WATCH: John Kerry Finds Reason to Tell Congress He’s ‘Flying Commercial’ Today

W

John Kerry’s plan to catch a flight on Wednesday hung over his more than two-hour congressional testimony about climate change like the Sword of Damocles.

The deadline: Kerry, the Biden administration’s climate envoy, declared early on to the House Foreign Affairs committee that he would need to leave half an hour earlier than expected because he was “flying commercial.”

  • “I thought we originally, I think the hearing was set from 10 to noon. And I can push to 12:30, but I am flying commercial and have a flight that I have to make,” said Kerry, who famously owns a private jet.

Republican lawmakers repeatedly complained that Kerry’s flight was forcing them to rush through the hearing.

The backstory: Kerry, who served as secretary of state during the Obama administration, has been criticized for flying a private jet around the world while advocating a “Great Reset” of capitalism to address the “existential” threat of climate change.

  • Challenged on the practice by an Icelandic reporter in 2019, Kerry replied, ““It’s the only choice for somebody like me who is traveling the world to win this battle.”
By We'll Do It Live