Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is having a pretty bad week. He finally made it to East Palestine, Ohio, three weeks after the disastrous train derailment there on February 3. And the greeting he received was certainly far from warm.
The area is still feeling the results of the accident, the smell of chemicals is still in the air and contamination is a very real fear. But the Biden Administration has been basically silent.
With the exception of a tweet, the president has made no communication. And it took the transportation secretary three weeks to arrive on site.
Former President Donald Trump got there before anyone from the White House. The president was throwing more money at Ukraine during his personal visit to that country and saying that Ukraine had captured his heart. So you can imagine how the folks in the small town of Ohio were feeling.
Trump arrived with water and supplies on Wednesday and bought lunch for a ton of first responders at a local Mcdonald’s.
Pete came wearing a hard hat and somewhat of an attitude at 7 am in the morning. He blew off the reporters who were there and his press secretary got in their faces.
A reporter simply asked why it took Sec. Buttigieg almost three weeks to come to East Palestine, and his press secretary told him he was “aggressive” for trying to ask questions on camera.
Wait…isn’t that exactly what press secretaries usually do to answer questions from reporters on camera?
Buttigieg obviously faced more questions about the nature of his job, but he just would not respond and his people kept ushering him away from the press.
One reporter asked some of the people in the town, “What can [Pete Buttigieg] do on the ground today that would actually help you guys?”
“I think that for a lot of people, it’s a little — no matter what happens right now — is gonna seem very late on the federal response, this happened on the third of February,” one responded.
Too little too late, that’s not a bad description of the whole Biden Administration.
I asked Sec. Buttigieg why it took him almost 3 weeks to come and speak to residents of East Palestine.
His press Secretary then told me I was aggressive for trying to ask questions on camera: pic.twitter.com/bOB52DIq0O
— Savanah Hernandez (@sav_says_) February 23, 2023
Pete Buttigieg refuses to answer questions to media here in East Palestine.
His people escort him away.@DrewHLive | @TPUSA pic.twitter.com/2lbuDxpDWf
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) February 23, 2023
“What can [Pete Buttigieg] do on the ground today that would actually help you guys?”
“I think that for a lot of people it’s a little — no matter what happens right now — is gonna seem very late on the federal response, this happened on the third of February.” pic.twitter.com/Arcy6O8b5C
— Conservative War Machine (@WarMachineRR) February 23, 2023
