Twitter / @JennieSTaer
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg had a weirdly tense and terse reaction when a reporter asked him about the residents suffering in the wake of the East Palestine train disaster, refusing to answer questions, saying he was on “personal time.”
Buttigieg was in Washington D.C. Tuesday, when a reporter with the Daily Caller approached him and asked what he would say to the folks in East Palestine. His response — “I’d refer you to about a dozen interviews I’ve given today, and if you’d like to arrange a conversation, make sure to reach out to our press office.”
When the reporter persisted, Buttigieg, who was walking with his husband Chasten, brushed her off, saying, “… I’m taking some personal time and I’m walking down the street.”
That wasn’t the end … the reporter asked when the former presidential candidate would go to East Palestine, he said he’d “share that when I’m ready.”
And then the bizarre turn … he stopped and asked the reporter if he could take a picture of her. It seemed like an intimidation tactic … the reporter later Tweeted, “I guess he didn’t like that so he took a pic of me … just doing my job, sir.”
Buttigieg has announced he will travel to East Palestine Thursday.