Buttigieg Finally Visits Ohio Train Disaster Site, Admits He Should Have Spoken Sooner
“Again, I was taking pains to respect the role that I have, the role that I don’t have — but that should not have stopped me from weighing in about how I felt about what was happening.”
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg finally visited East Palestine, OH, where a train derailed and spilled toxic chemicals…on February 23.
20 days later. Good job, Pete! He didn’t even talk about the accident until 10 days after it happened.
Buttigieg came up with every excuse as to why he didn’t visit or say anything but admitted he should have said something sooner:
“I felt strongly about this and could have expressed that sooner,” Buttigieg said, describing the “twisted metal” that still remained at the site, which he had visited earlier Thursday morning.
“Again, I was taking pains to respect the role that I have, the role that I don’t have — but that should not have stopped me from weighing in about how I felt about what was happening,” he continued. The derailment happened on Feb. 3, but Buttigieg’s first public comments did not come until 10 days later.
Buttigieg even had the nerve to say that those who expressed concern or bashed him for not showing up they’re playing politics.
Former President Donald Trump visited yesterday. He brought pallets of food, water, and cleaning supplies. He also bought a ton of McDonald’s food for the first responders.
Buttigieg on the Republican response to his failures in Ohio: "I'm here for the work but not for the politics… There's no question that there have been enormous amounts of information and misinformation injected into this situation." pic.twitter.com/mcmpcVsd69
— Joe Biden Showered With His Daughter (@greg_price11) February 23, 2023
"Your first tweet…a week and a half after the accident happened. In hindsight, was that waiting too long to express anything hours after you had addressed the makeup of work crews on highway construction projects?"
BUTTIGIEG: "I could've expressed that sooner" pic.twitter.com/jjp4B1Wd65
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 23, 2023
"Was it a mistake not to come here sooner?"
BUTTIGIEG: "What I tried to do was balance two things: my desire to be involved and engaged and on the ground, which is how I'm generally wired to act, and my desire to follow the norm." 🤔 pic.twitter.com/KA0NPi72Oy
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 23, 2023
Buttigieg also claimed the Biden administration came to the scene right away:
BUTTIGIEG: “That’s exactly why we’re here. That’s why we’ve been here from the first hours of the incident as an administration, and that’s why our interest both in what happened here in East Palestine and in keeping our railroads safe doesn’t go away.”
BUTTIGIEG: "That's why we've been here from the first hours of the incident as an administration."
It took him three weeks to visit. pic.twitter.com/jGM1enInzI
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 23, 2023
Buttigieg doesn’t even think before he talks:
BUTTIGIEG: “Both information and misinformation injected into this situation, none of which is to the benefit of the community when it comes to that misinformation.”
REPORTER: “Did Norfolk –”
BUTTIGIEG: “So, I think — so, I lost my train of thought.”
"I LOST MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT"pic.twitter.com/SA5fgjd8X7
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 23, 2023
Pete’s press secretary also had it out with a reporter:
HERNANDEZ: “Mayor Pete, why did it take you an entire two and a half weeks to actually get here to respond to East Palestine? Will you apologize to the residents of this city for — for the slow response, the government’s slow response? Do you have any apology?”
UNKNOWN FEMALE: “I am his press person, I can help you.”
HERNANDEZ: “Sure. Sure. Sure. Sure.”
UNKNOWN FEMALE: “I am his press person. I don’t want to –” [crosstalk]
HERNANDEZ: “So, can — can — can we ask why it took him almost three weeks to get here?”
UNKNOWN FEMALE: “Sorry, I don’t want to do this on camera.”
REPORTER 1: “What was his personal time off while it was a tragedy happening here?”
UNKNOWN FEMALE: “I’m happy to talk to you guys off camera.”
HERNANDEZ: “And can we also ask you why, you know, he waited until President Donald Trump came here to actually make an appearance? This is a very important question that people across America would like to know.”
UNKNOWN FEMALE: “I’m happy to have a conversation with you. I do not want to be on camera.”
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
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Comments
The campaign commercials write themselves, don’t they Pete? The only difference between little Pete and the moron DOE employee stealing luggage is one has a shaved head. By the way, how is it President Trump’s fault that the bearing on the axel burned out? The sensor didn’t alert to the rise in axel temp until it was too late. The engineer had just started to brake when the derailment occurred. Norfolk Southern is at fault. BlackRock owns NS. Larry Fink is in the WH frequently. FJB!
Come on, he is a working mother, how does he have time for a baby and visiting some disaster?
He IS he baby.
Mayor Pete is the perfect representation of this maladministration – incompetent to the point where a random group of kindergarteners could do a better job.
The Secretary of Transportation should be picking up trash beside the highway. That is best he can do.
That’s too much like actual work. Pete would want to supervise the people picking up trash on the highway. From an air conditioned vehicle. Passing by at 70 mph.
I’ll pay for the orange suit. I’ll pay double for the leg chain.
I’m in a pissy mood.
https://twitter.com/DMacleoMaine/status/1628859747398033408
spent many hours in 1990s as the first hazmat responder in the state.
spent many hours getting qualified to ship hazmat on all (rail;/ship/truck/airline) modes.
how many hours have all of you spent dealing with CFR149, IATA?
I got tested few times a year for many years just for my job as well as NFPA.
and all the dumbasses pontificating today piss me off. none of them ever donned a level b or level a suit.
edit: first TEAM of responders in state. did not mean to imply I was first responder.
first team started as 30 people in 1992. ended as 8 people.luckily I never needed to deploy on that.
anyways I became the SCBA trainer for volunteer dept and trained others.
1997 permanently injured stepped out.
oh yeah, was qualified Scott (my favorite),Survivair,MSA scba crap.
driven off this comment at PJM
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/lincolnbrown/2023/02/23/ntsb-releases-preliminary-findings-on-the-east-palestine-disaster-n1673118
You know he’s a mental giant when he muffs the spelling on a hashtag. Especially since Twitter has an edit button now (or so they tell me).
I think Butt Boy was counting on Richie Aprile being at the site and that Richie’s promise was still good,
“I’ll build a ramp up to your ass, drive a Lionel up in there.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orGvT5iKb9Q
One MIGHT even say that Buttigieg’s visit was a….. train wreck?
/sunglasses
He left, he saw, he flew over.
It is clear that everyone in Biden’s Admin is useless and are only in place to make money and destroy the USA. Trump was good to get them to start to move but I am not sure anything will happen.
It is clear from internet reports that the hazard cloud has caused a wide area from Ohio to PA that is making people sick with rashes and welts. The train company got the tracks fixed but nothing was done about the soil and trains are moving again.
He is. lazy, incompetent poser who is a legend in his own mind.
Summed up: he is malignant fool.
“……. which he had visited earlier Thursday morning.”
Yes, at 7 am when no one was there.
Weasel.
Gee he could have taken the first responders to breakfast
What a loser
A press secretary that doesn’t want to be on camera? She still has a job?
She works for Pete. She’s having self-esteem issues. Hater.
Just like pedo joe biden pete buttplug is lying. That’s all they do is lie.
Wait, he was in Ohio and Oberlin didn’t give him some sort of an honorary degree? The Left is way off their game
How many bottles of drinking water did he bring?
“Butt Water” doesn’t have the same ring to it as “Trump Water” …
Isn’t a presidential appointee supposed to make the boss look good?