Ordinarily, the media have quite an appetite for covering political family feuds; especially CNN. Last year, the network gave air time to relatives of Republican Congressman Paul Gosar, White House adviser Stephen Miller, and outgoing Republican Congressman Bob Goodlatte to either trash their relatives and/or endorse their Democratic opponents. However, they did not share the same enthusiasm for giving a platform to Democratic Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg’s brother-in-law, who took issue with some of the information in a Washington Post article profiling Chasten Buttigieg, the candidate’s husband.
The Post article alleges that Chasten suffered from “a childhood marked by intense poverty and an intolerant family that turned their back on him because of his lifestyle.” Chasten’s brother, Pastor Rhyan Glezman, appeared on Fox News’s The Ingraham Angle Thursday night to dispute that narrative.
Ingraham opened the segment by noting that “since The Washington Post article came out, the family has been subjected...to hateful messages by e-mail, social media, and text, one suggesting that...my next guest kill himself.” She proceeded to introduce Glezman, who said that the idea that his family “ever had an issue” with Chasten’s lifestyle “couldn’t be further from the truth.”
When asked by Ingraham why Buttigieg would “make this up,” Glezman pointed to a political motive; arguing that “in such a competitive, a very large Democratic field of candidates, you need to…have a story.” Glezman concluded that Buttigieg orchestrated this story about his “brother’s childhood and the past to gain political points…in the polls.”
In addition to shutting down the claim that Chasten was ever homeless, Glezman admitted that “When I became a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, the, the family dynamic dramatically shifted.” According to Glezman, “If there was any shunning, to be honest with you… that would be myself being shunned over my brother.” At the top of the interview, Glezman appeared to refute any claims that his renewal of faith caused him to treat his brother differently; stressing “I love my brother dearly” and “I want the best for him.”
After Glezman claimed that “everything in that article was spun…in a way to make a rags-to-riches story,” Ingraham closed the interview by asking Glezman who he planned to vote for in 2020. Glezman made it clear he was a Trump supporter; which caused Ingraham to predict that “people are going to say your comments are political.”
This story has most of the dynamics of all of the other family feud stories surrounding Republican politicians; yet CNN and the media chose not to cover this one because it involved the family of a Democratic politician. They’re too busy asking Buttigieg if he sees running for President as a “sexy challenge” or accusing President Trump of unleashing a “flurry of lies” to even entertain the possibility that one of his potential Democratic challengers might have contacted a “blizzard of lies” of his own.
A transcript of the relevant portion of Thursday’s edition of The Ingraham Angle is below. Click “expand” to read more.
The Ingraham Angle
05/30/19
10:36 PM
PETE BUTTIGIEG: Where I come from is a Christian faith that teaches humility, that teaches love. The reason that being married to Chasten has made me a better person and made me feel closer to God is that it has been that experience of caring about someone else more than you do for yourself. And…and humbling yourself, putting yourself in your place.
LAURA INGRAHAM: Well, and Chasten Buttigieg has become a staple on the campaign trail and as such has been the subject of multiple glowing profiles. One particular piece in The Washington Post described a childhood marked by intense poverty and an intolerant family that turned their back on him because of his lifestyle. Tonight, Chasten’s brother says these stories have been spun for political advantage by Pete Buttigieg and are hurting his family. Since The Washington Post article came out, the family has been suggested, he says, to hateful messages by e-mail, social media and text; one suggesting that, well, my next guest kill himself. Here now exclusively, Pastor Rhyan Glezman, brother of Chasten Buttigieg. Rhyan, thank you for being here. My first question is has your family ever had an issue with your brother and his husband, his lifestyle?
RHYAN GLEZMAN: Well, before I answer, Laura, I just want to say thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to come on here. It’s a privilege and an honor to be on such a great show but to answer your question, absolutely not. That is just…it couldn’t be further from the truth. There has absolutely never been any amount of shunning him from the family. I love my brother dearly. I want the best for him, I want the best for Pete and this story, this narrative of the family, shunning him from the family just couldn’t be further from the truth.
INGRAHAM: But why, why would, why would he make this up?
GLEZMAN: The way I see it, Laura, is in such a competitive, a very large Democratic field of candidates, you need to, you need to have a story and, you know, I’m not going to cut down a mayor’s role. I think a mayor’s role is very important. But at the end of the day, if you only have the mayor role, and you’re going for the next, the highest office in the country, you need to have a, a different story. And that’s…and unfortunately, we became victim to that, our family of having this rags-to-riches stories be brought up about my, my brother’s childhood and the past to gain political points in the, in the polls is the way I see it.
INGRAHAM: Now, I’m sensitive this, to this this issue of, of, of family coming out and commenting on other family members. I mean, why don’t you just pick up the phone and, and, and talk to either Pete or, you know, your brother-in-law? Why, why, why come on this show? I mean, we’re glad you’re on the show but I don’t understand why don’t you just pick up the phone?
GLEZMAN: To be honest with you, I didn’t sign up for this. The only reason I’m here is for the truth to prevail. It would be…if it was that easy, that would’ve already been done. These communications and…and that would have already been done if it was as easy as it could be.
INGRAHAM: When’s the last time you spoke?
GLEZMAN: The last time we spoke was at my, my grandma’s funeral in Traverse City, Michigan was the last time we spoke.
INGRAHAM: When was that?
GLEZMAN: That would be coming up on a year ago.
INGRAHAM: So, would you describe yourself as a close family? I mean, you haven’t, you haven’t spoken in a year?
GLEZMAN: To be honest, our family dynamics has been rocky for 9-10 years. When I became a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, the, the family dynamic dramatically shifted. If there was any shunning, to be honest with you, to share the truth, that would be myself being shunned over my brother.
INGRAHAM: Well, does he feel unaccepted or does he feel, you know, upset that you don’t, you know, validate his choices? I mean, I mean, he is who he is at this point so does he feel bad? I mean, I don’t want to do family dynamics, psychoanalysis here, or…and I’m not, I’m not a doctor, I don’t play one on TV. But it seems to me that you all should just get together and talk. That would…to me, that seems like the better thing. But you seem to be saying that Pete Buttigieg, Mayor Buttigieg, is selling this story and I don’t want to put words in your mouth, for political reasons.
GLEZMAN: Well, like I said, in a crowded field, you need, you need to get your, your story out there. So what better story to have this rags to riches, to make it look like he came from a mayor of a midwestern town going for the presidency. His, his husband, who supposedly…according to The Washington Post, had been shunned from the family, had been kicked out of the family, who supposedly was homeless, which we have no memory of that ever happening.
INGRAHAM: So you’re saying he was never homeless?
GLEZMAN: To my memory, there’s absolutely no recollection of him being homeless, there’s no shunning…
INGRAHAM: Okay.
GLEZMAN: There’s absolutely none. My family…
INGRAHAM: So is anything that he said true? Is anything that he said true, in your…about your family dynamic in…from your opinion?
GLEZMAN: And for my opinion? Absolutely not. Everything in that article…
INGRAHAM: Wow.
GLEZMAN: …was spun in a way to make a rags-to-riches story for this political game.
INGRAHAM: All right, we got to…we got to go, Rhyan, but for whom are you voting if you don’t mind share…would you vote for Mayor Pete?
GLEZMZAN: Trump in 2020.
INGRAHAM: Okay, well maybe people are going to say your comments are political then. I could see that story written; your comments are political. I mean, either side is going to say they’re political but we appreciate your coming on tonight…
GLEZMAN: Thank you.
INGRAHAM: …and I think you should pick up the phone and have a cup of coffee.
GLEZMAN: Yeah.
INGRAHAM: All right, you take care.
