Buttigieg’s ‘Press Person’ Declines to Answer Questions in Front of Cameras: ‘A Little Bit Aggressive’
Amid questions about why it took nearly three weeks for Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to visit East Palestine, Ohio, his spokeswoman says she is willing to answer them — just not in front of cameras. On…
Amid questions about why it took nearly three weeks for Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to visit East Palestine, Ohio, his spokeswoman says she is willing to answer them — just not in front of cameras.
On Thursday, journalist Savannah Hernandez tried to ask Buttigieg about the response to the derailment. However, he did not respond.
Instead, a woman who identified herself as the secretary’s “press person” offered to answer questions as long as she was not on camera.
“I’m happy to have a conversation with you. I do not want to be on camera,” she said, adding, “I think that is a little bit aggressive.”
She declined to answer why she believes it is “aggressive” to be filmed.
Watch the video below:
The moment comes as Buttigieg was in the town following the Feb. 3 train derailment there.
While federal agencies have been working to address the incident, there have been allegations of a slow federal response and questions about whether top-level officials would visit the town.
No one wants to feel ambushed or cornered by people shoving cameras or phones in their faces to record them — potentially being put in a situation where their words can be taken out of context.
And there is no requirement that a spokesperson for a federal agency must answer every question on camera.