When you don't know the name of the U.S. Transportation Secretary, that is the definition of a good one. It's not unlike a good baseball umpire or NFL referee--they do such a good job, you don't get to see them before a problem is solved, because they solve the problems before they get out of hand.
Then there's Pete Buttigieg.
As most people are aware, on February 3rd of this month, a catastrophic train derailment led to a vinyl chloride spill and fire in the small Ohio town named East Palestine [pronounced 'Palesteen'. A containment fire was started to handle the spill but it did more harm than good. But the EPA and a few Democrats said the water was safe to drink, but didn't bother to test their 'science' by taking a drink themselves.
Meanwhile, the Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, was nowhere to be found in the mostly White, Republican town in Ohio.
The public was livid that Pete didn't bother to come to assure the townsfolk, assess the damage and do an overview of the situation, and they said so on social media. It finally got Buttigieg's attention and he thought he better get his butt to the site.
However, when on Thursday he was asked by the press why it took him one day shy of three weeks to get to East Palestine, he refused to explain. He ignored press inquiries and his own press secretary also refused to answer the questions in front of the cameras.
Turning Point USA reporter Savanah Hernandez posted footage of Buttigieg’s visit to East Palestine, asking the useless Transportation Secretary why it took him nearly three weeks to visit the area.
“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 the slow response,” she asked as the incompetent Buttigieg ignored her, walking away, Biden style.
A woman then approached Hernandez, identifying herself as Buttigieg’s press secretary.
“I don’t want to be on camera, please,” she said, offering to answer questions on the condition that cameras were off. After all, the public doesn't have the right to know what their government is doing.
“I don’t want to be on camera, please,” she said, offering to answer questions on the condition that cameras were off. After all, the public doesn't have the right to know what their government is doing.
Hernandez asked again why it took the Alfred E. Neuman lookalike so long to respond to the disaster, but his press secretary refused to answer because of the presence of cameras and the fear of accountability to the people they are sworn to serve.
“I’m sorry. I don’t want to do this on camera,” she said as other reporters jumped in.
“I’m happy to talk to you guys off camera,” she said as Hernandez asked her a question again.
“I’m sorry. I don’t want to do this on camera,” she said as other reporters jumped in.
“I’m happy to talk to you guys off camera,” she said as Hernandez asked her a question again.
“I’m happy to have a conversation with you. I do not want to be on camera,” the press secretary responded. A man then told members of the press to put the cameras away, to which Hernandez responded it was a public area, and they were, therefore, allowed to have them rolling.
Imagine, a so called press secretary censoring the press. Anyway, Ms. Hernandez tweeted:
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
It turns out that Buttigieg's visit to East Palestine came a few days after he said he would visit when "the time is right." By that he meant whenever he was pressured into visiting the disaster. But not so coincidentally, it appears, his visit came merely one day after former President Donald Trump visited, handing out truckloads of water and buying McDonald's for first responders.
“We’re like a third-world nation, and this is an example of it, the breakdown. Our whole country is breaking down,” Trump said during his visit with East Palestine residents, adding that Buttigieg “should have been here a long time ago.”
“We’re like a third-world nation, and this is an example of it, the breakdown. Our whole country is breaking down,” Trump said during his visit with East Palestine residents, adding that Buttigieg “should have been here a long time ago.”
I disagree with Trump: Buttigieg should have been gone, a long time ago. Or better yet, he should have never gotten the job in the first place because it was only because he is gay and married to a guy, that the Biden administration appointed him. He was a failure as the Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and is a failure as Transportation Secretary.
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