Politico reports Republican pouncing has put a 'harsh spotlight' on poor Pete Buttigieg

Doug P. | 11:19 AM on February 23, 2023

Earlier we told you about a CNN reporter who noticed that the real problem with the federal government’s slow response to the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment is all the pouncing Republicans.

Not to be outdone, Politico is taking a similar approach in a piece that sounds like it could have been written by Pete Buttigieg’s office:

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Well, there it is!

"Publicly and privately, signs are growing that the Transportation secretary’s usual Eagle Scout patience is giving way to frustration."

How in the wide, wide world of sports is Buttigieg the victim of a 'Republicans pounce' campaign, Politijoke?https://t.co/2wfakLWoMs

— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) February 23, 2023

The Republicans are pouncing and seizing again:

Since then, conservative media outlets have used images of the Feb. 3 wreck — including the flames, plumes of black smoke and piles of dead fish — to lambaste his oversight of rail safety. They’ve also criticized his failure to visit the crash site, a chorus of “Where’s Pete?” that didn’t let up even after he announced he would be visiting East Palestine on Thursday.

The “effort by Fox News and Republicans” to use the pain of the East Palestine community “as a political weapon is both enraging and demeaning,” the senior Democrat said.

Guess what — the media’s also to blame for Buttigieg’s slow response because they didn’t ask him about the train derailment for well over a week:

Three people in Buttigieg’s orbit admit to being exasperated by the furor, saying nobody asked him about the derailment in any of the 23 media interviews he conducted during the first 10 days after the accident. Then critics lambasted him for not speaking sooner.