Obama Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has a message for those who were gullible enough to buy Chevy Volts manufactured by Government Motors: Don’t worry about those pesky battery fires.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says the Chevy Volt is safe to drive even though the government is investigating fires caused by damage to the electric car’s battery.

LaHood told reporters Tuesday that his department isn’t trying to protect the maker of the Chevrolet Volt, General Motors, from possible repercussions from the government’s safety investigation.

LaHood says his department isn’t in the business of protecting the automobile industry.

No, just manufacturers owned by the Obama Administration, which is heavily invested in both Government Motors and “green” vehicles like the Volt.

This is the same Ray LaHood, by the way, who told Americans to “stop driving” vehicles manufactured by Toyota when that company was dealing with concerns about the safety of its vehicles.

But then Toyota isn’t owned by the Obama Administration, so it’s okay to freak out owners of its vehicles. But cars manufactured by a company owned by the federal government? Cars with a nasty habit of, um, catching fire? Those are just fine.