It’s now been two days since Ben Cayetano held a press conference to reveal internal FTA emails he said show the feds had the same concerns about rail that he and his co-plaintiffs had.

The back-and-forth has continued since Cayetano’s attacks.

First, the FTA reiterated its support for the project and the traffic relief it will provide. Cliff Slater and Walter Heen both pointed out that the FTA has acknowledged that rail won’t reduce traffic from current levels, and Heen complained that it appears the FTA is inserting itself into a municipal election.

The newest voice in the debate is U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Sen. Daniel Inouye‘s office today distributed video of an exchange between Inouye and LaHood. Here’s one section:

Senator, the press reports about the emails you reference were prior to my taking this position. Since I have taken this position, I have had the privilege of being with you in your state. We’ve talked about this project. You were kind enough to convene a meeting about this and other projects in Hawaii. I want you to know that we are committed to this project. This is an important project. This will deliver people all over the island. It’s an important project and at this point, we will continue to work through whatever issues need to be worked through. We’re committed to this. We’re committed to the money; we’re committed to the project. And, until we hear differently from others who are intimately involved in this, I see no reason why we won’t go forward.