The Buttigieg train wreck
Why did President Joe Biden ever choose Pete Buttigieg to lead the Department of Transportation? That’s exactly what Rep. Jim Jordan took to Twitter to ask on Friday as Buttigieg continues to face criticism for his handling — or lack of — a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
The Norfolk Southern derailment, which took place on Feb. 3, has prompted health and environmental concerns as many of the 38 involved cars spilled toxic chemicals, including vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, isobutylene, and other harmful chemicals, into the nearby area.
Jordan, R-Ohio, suggested in a tweet that Buttigieg’s hiring "wasn’t a good idea" as he has "no transportation experience."
"Maybe hiring a guy with no transportation experience to be the Secretary of Transportation wasn’t a good idea?" Jordan asked.
BUTTIGIEG DODGES QUESTIONS WHILE HIS PRESS SECRETARY REFUSES TO BE ON CAMERA IN EAST PALESTINE
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"Secretary Pete’s response to East Palestine has been a total disaster," Jordan added in another tweet.
"But don’t worry, it was a ‘lesson learned,’" the Republican continued, citing Buttigieg’s own comment during an interview with CBS News. "Can you imagine the media’s reaction if a Republican tried that bogus excuse?"
Buttigieg visited Ohio on Thursday, nearly three weeks after the East Palestine train derailment, and was also mocked for appearing to wear dress shoes while surveying the affected areas. Other officials wore heavy work boots as they trolled the muddy site of the catastrophic train derailment.
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Buttigieg has been subject to almost constant criticism from Republican lawmakers and others as he struggled to clear the supply chain crisis that saw shipping prices skyrocket under the COVID pandemic, provide clear answers for flight disruptions and Federal Aviation Administration system outages, or promptly address the train derailment in Ohio and others across the country.
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His shoes should not be that important, but his failure to get on the scene earlier with professionals from the Transportation Department was a mistake.
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