Biden’s Safety Official Tied to Building with Safety Violations: Watchdog

A Key Official at the Biden Administration Tied to Apartment Building with Safety Violations

Concerns Raised Over National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Official’s Affiliation

A key Biden administration official at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is tied to an apartment building in Los Angeles that has a history of serious safety violations, according to a watchdog organization.

Code inspection reports obtained by the American Accountability Foundation (AAF) and shared with The Daily Wire indicate that properties owned by a family trust affiliated with Ann Carlson, the acting administrator and chief legal counsel for the NHTSA, have a history of safety violations, prompting concern from Senate Republicans.

“Given that NHTSA’s mission is to ensure safety on the nation’s roads, Ann Carlson’s reported carelessness regarding safety at properties owned by her family trust are concerning,” a spokesman for Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Republicans on the Senate Commerce Committee told The Daily Wire. “Whether it’s her ties to radical environmentalists, her hypocrisy regarding her investments in oil and gas, or her inability to properly manage investment properties, Ann Carlson’s record raises serious concerns about her ability to lead NHTSA even on a temporary basis.”

The Daily Wire has reached out to the NHTSA, an agency tasked with improving vehicle safety, for comment.

President Joe Biden previously appointed Carlson to be head of the NHTSA before withdrawing her nomination in May after opposition from Senate Republicans.

Multiple “high” level violations at the Los Angeles apartment building occurred in 2019 when the Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department inspected the apartment and found two separate rooms without smoke detectors as required by city code, according to code inspection reports obtained by the AAF. According to the AAF, the violations “were not fully corrected until two follow-up inspections were performed.”

“The lack of smoke detectors shows negligence by the building’s ownership — the Carlson-Moor Family Trust — and that tenants were in danger and exposed to the risk of harm or even death,” the AAF said in a memo shared with The Daily Wire.

Several other 2019 violations noted by city inspectors included a lack of carbon monoxide detectors across two separate properties and several issues pertaining to plumbing in the building, including having no permit to install a water heater, the AAF found.

“The fact that Joe Biden’s ‘highway safety’ chief has repeatedly jeopardized the safety of her own tenants completely disqualifies her from this role. She has no business regulating the lives of the American people while she herself repeatedly violates health and safety regulations,” said AAF President Tom Jones. “Yet unfortunately it is not surprising, ‘Rules for thee but not for me’ seems to be the new motto of the Democrat Party. Carlson must resign immediately.”

Another alleged violation occurred at one of the properties recently, according to a complaint filed last month that claims that a “garage was demolished and released lead contamination.” The complaint also alleges that there was new construction not up to fire code and that property lines were crossed.

Prior to serving in the Biden administration, Carlson was an environmental professor at UCLA. She took a leave of absence to begin work at the NHTSA and has faced regular criticism from Republicans over environmental regulations she has helped to craft.