The response from the federal government to the environmental disaster unfolding in East Palestine, Ohio and the surrounding areas has been pathetically slow, as has been clear for weeks. The EPA finally ordered Norfolk Southern to clean up the toxic mess today, but the mandate arrived weeks late and many dollars short. The derailment and toxic chemical leaks (and burns) have brought new attention to the Department of Transportation and Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who has been notably absent from the action. Yesterday, when Daily Caller investigative reporter Jennie Taer happened to catch sight of Mayor Pete out in public, she took the opportunity to try to ask him about the situation. That didn’t go well, with Buttigieg informing her that he was trying to enjoy some “personal time” and snapping a picture of her. Here’s the video of the encounter that she later posted on Twitter.
I asked Secretary Buttigieg about the crisis in East Palestine and I guess he didn’t like that so he took a pic of me. Im just doing my job, sir. @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/HjKNgF25FJ
— Jennie Taer (@JennieSTaer) February 22, 2023
When Taer asked Buttigieg if he was planning to go to East Palestine in person, he said that he was. But when asked when he might be doing that he declined to say. The Transportation Secretary appears to have free “personal” time to go for a stroll, but not to go address the questions and concerns of the people impacted by the toxic train wreck.
And what was the point of asking the reporter if he could take her picture? That sounded rather threatening, didn’t it? It’s as if he wanted to make sure he could identify her in the future in case she caused any more “trouble” by simply doing her job. It would appear that the lovable Mayor isn’t quite so lovable without a script in front of him.
Keep in mind that this is the same Transportation Secretary who initially told the public that the derailment and subsequent spill weren’t really a big deal because “it happens all the time.” Here’s a short walk down memory lane.
Pete Buttigieg on the Ohio train derailment disaster: "While this horrible situation has gotten a particularly high amount of attention, there are roughly 1,000 cases a year of a train derailing." pic.twitter.com/5NFtZnlDmg
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 16, 2023
Yes, there are frequent train derailments, but the vast majority of them don’t result in a carcinogenic mushroom cloud rising up over the countryside. And if there really are that many derailments every year, doesn’t that sound like a problem? Perhaps a problem that someone in authority should be doing something about? Someone such as, I don’t know… the Secretary of Transportation, maybe?
Speaking of mayors, the Mayor of East Palestine is not a happy camper at the moment and is still demanding answers from the Biden administration. (NY Post)
Mayor Trent Conaway accused Biden of abandoning his domestic responsibilities after the 80-year-old president popped over to Kyiv on Monday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“That was the biggest slap in the face,” Conaway told Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime” on Monday night.
“That tells you right now he doesn’t care about us,” the mayor continued.
What started as (and continues to be) an environmental disaster may be rapidly morphing into a political disaster as well. The sheer indifference of the Biden administration in general and the Department of Transportation, in particular, has been on full display. East Palestine is a very small, rural community that voted for Donald Trump by a significant margin in 2020. And now, in their moment of need, they’re getting a taste of exactly how concerned the administration is about the welfare of people like them. But the world is watching and people are going to remember this.
