Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) slammed Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday for being “absent on the job,” following a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this month.
Boebert claimed that Buttigieg’s admittance that he should have spoken out sooner about the train derailment in Ohio “fell flat,” and that the former mayor-turned cabinet secretary has been absent on his job.
OHIO TRAIN DERAILMENT: PENCE SLAMS BIDEN FOR NOT VISITING EAST PALESTINE
“This excuse falls completely flat. Pete is absent on the job and has been from day one,” Boebert tweeted in response to a Breitbart article.
Buttigieg attempted to excuse his silence on the disaster as being focused on making sure people on location in Ohio were settled, but admitted that he could have spoken out sooner.
“I was focused on just making sure that our folks on the ground were all set,” Buttigieg told CBS News on Tuesday. “But I could have spoken sooner about how strongly I felt about this incident, and that’s a lesson learned for me.”
Buttigieg and President Joe Biden have come under fire recently for not visiting the site of the nearly 50-car train derailment, which occurred on Feb. 3. Five of the cars were carrying toxic chemicals, prompting evacuations in the small Ohio town, and the nearby community.
“If Pete Buttigieg’s job is to ignore his job, then he’s really doing a great job!” the congresswoman later tweeted.
If Pete Buttigieg’s job is to ignore his job, then he’s really doing a great job!
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) February 23, 2023
Buttigieg is expected to visit the site on Thursday, a day after former President Donald Trump arrived. Trump was among the critics of Biden for not visiting Ohio in the aftermath of the derailment. Biden received backlash for deciding to visit Ukraine instead of Ohio.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Department of Transportation is now leading an investigation into Norfolk Southern, the company running the derailed train. The company is also covering the entire cost of the clean-up from the derailment, the Environmental Protection Agency said on Tuesday.
