WASHINGTON—U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Wednesday that Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk should directly raise with him any issues about the hiring of a senior safety adviser who has been critical of the automaker. “He’s welcome to call me if he’s concerned,” Buttigieg told reporters at an event on Wednesday. “We are responsible for making sure that every vehicle on the road is safe.” The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Tuesday confirmed a Reuters report that Duke University engineering and computer science professor Missy Cummings is being named a new senior adviser for safety at NHTSA, saying in a statement it looks forward “to leveraging her experience and leadership in safety and autonomous technologies.” On Tuesday, Musk wrote on Twitter: “Objectively, her track record is extremely biased against Tesla.” She responded to Musk on Twitter saying: “Happy to sit down and talk with you anytime.” NHTSA …