Pete Buttigieg’s Role in Job Cuts and Premium Hikes at McKinsey Leave His Campaign Flailing

Just as Pete Buttigieg began overtaking his rivals in early state and national polls, questions swirled around the work he performed as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. Once the NDA on his client list was lifted and made public, the scrutiny has only magnified.

According to The New York Times, one of those clients was Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan – and his involvement may have led to significant job cuts and premium rate hikes.

“Last week Mr. Buttigieg’s campaign said his time in Michigan included “analytical work as part of a team identifying savings in administration and overhead costs.” While it was not yet clear exactly what Mr. Buttigieg did at Blue Cross, his work appeared to come at about the same time the insurer announced that it would cut up to 1,000 jobs — or nearly 10 percent of its work force — and request rate increases.”

Buttigieg dodged responsibility for the job cuts and rate hikes in interviews with The Atlantic and MSNBC yesterday, but according to other reports, his explanation has changed several times since 2011:

The evolution of Buttigieg’s responses to the McKinsey issue is already raising eyebrows, and it will only fuel additional criticism from his Democratic rivals.