Speaking to reporters at the White House Thursday afternoon, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked repeatedly whether President Joe Biden plans to visit East Palestine, Ohio as the community there continues to reel from chemical contamination.
"Does [Biden] not want to [bring relief to East Palestine] directly, in person, himself?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 23, 2023
KJP: "Offering the help IS doing it directly!" pic.twitter.com/dJJCYjPljx
REPORTER: "Is it in discussion that the president may go [to East Palestine] in the near future?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 23, 2023
KJP: "I just don't have anything to share."
"Has it been something that's even under consideration?"
"Folks should feel at ease...the president has taken this very seriously." pic.twitter.com/xX9wtra3dd
Meanwhile it appears Team Buttigieg is not happy with the way the situation has been handled by the White House and his people are complaining in the press. From POLITICO:
This month’s toxic derailment in a small Ohio village has put Pete Buttigieg under pressure like never before — leaving him scrambling to contain a public health and transportation crisis only partially under his purview while absorbing the brunt of attacks from the Biden administration’s adversaries.
Publicly and privately, signs are growing that the Transportation secretary’s usual Eagle Scout patience is giving way to frustration.
“Pete Buttigieg has taken a lot of bullets for the president on this,” one senior Democrat said Wednesday, insisting on anonymity to talk about a crisis that the person was not authorized to discuss.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited East Palestine on Thursday and faced a barrage of questions about why he didn't show up sooner. Former President Donald Trump visited the area on Wednesday.