President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, Bryan Bedford, was himself investigated by the agency in 2010, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
The inquiry into Bedford stemmed from a 2010 episode of “Undercover Boss” where he posed as a flight attendant named “Richard.”
“The flight attendant position is critical, not just for the safety and security of our customers but also in order to keep the airline running on time,” Bedford said in the episode.
He also admitted to incorrectly saying part of the preflight safety briefing during the show. “Oops, missed that part,” he said, holding an oxygen mask while an actual flight attendant instructed passengers to adjust their own before assisting children.
At the time, Bedford was the president and chief executive of Republic Airways Holdings, which had won ownership of Frontier Airlines in a bankruptcy auction.
According to the Journal, Bedford went on the reality show — which secretly puts high-level corporate bosses into positions of their workers — because he “wanted to check on employees and the operation after the airline had undergone a merger and pay cut for workers.”
The revelation came in a notice to the Senate during the vetting process for Bedford to become head of the FAA. The Journal reports a confirmation hearing is now scheduled for June 11.
Bedford wrote in the notice, “After Frontier clarified that I did not serve as a crew member on the flight, I understand the FAA dropped the matter."
Randy Babbitt, who was the FAA chief at the time, told the Journal the agency closed the investigation without pursuing any penalties.
“To be totally candid with you, I thought it was pretty funny,” Babbitt said.
Bedford, the FAA and Republic didn’t offer a comment for the Journal.
Other Trump nominees have also appeared on TV, including Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy who was on MTV’s “The Real World.”
Additionally, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and interim United States attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro are both former Fox News hosts.