Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently downplayed Washington, D.C.’s, crime problems, saying there’s a lot of “energy” going into making the nation’s capital seem far worse than it is.

“We need to talk about the reality here,” Buttigieg said during a Sunday MSNBC appearance. “There’s a lot of funding and a lot of energy going into telling a different story in news outlets and online.”

“But the simple facts and the simple reality are right here staring us in the face, including the fact I can safely walk my dog to the Capitol today in a way you couldn’t do when we all got here,” he said.

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A Department of Transportation spokesperson told Fox News Digital following publication that Buttigieg was referring to the “deadly January 6th domestic terrorist attack in 2021 that led to hundreds of National Guard troops being stationed for months at the U.S. Capitol, with a perimeter fence that was up through July of 2021.”

Buttigieg is provided with security details due to this position with the government. 

When he made the comments on Sunday, there was a quadruple shooting around six miles southwest of the Capitol building, Fox 5 reported. And just days before, a woman was caught in crossfire in southeast D.C. and narrowly escaped being injured by ducking before a stray bullet shattered her car windshield.

Earlier this year, a man was charged in the November 2023 break-in of a Secret Service vehicle parked outside the D.C. home of President Biden’s granddaughter, Naomi.

Meanwhile, the nation’s capital has experienced soaring crime rates as its leaders have attempted to alleviate anxiety. 

Democrat D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson told the House Oversight Committee last year that while there are significant concerns regarding crime, residents should not worry.

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According to data from the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, crime rates in the city exponentially increased last year from 2022.

Homicides, for example, increased by nearly 35%, while robberies were up 67%. Violent crime as a whole shot up by almost 40% in 2023 compared to the previous year.

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The data also shows that violent crime rates have decreased as of April 8 since the same time last year.