Amid the still-burning California wildfires, the so-called leadership of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) has justifiably been called into question.
Bass, a Democrat and former Congresswoman, has been feeling another kind of heat as firefighters battle the out-of-control blazes, facing questions about her priorities, which were to take a taxpayer-funded leisure trip to Ghana on behalf of President Joe Biden even as warnings of hazardous of conditions were being reported.
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Immediately upon her return to LA and after entire neighborhoods had burned to the ground, a reporter from Sky News let her have it with questions asked about whether she owed residents an apology for being AWOL and what her thoughts were on funding cuts. Bass stood there in stunned silence and walked away without answering a single one.
READ MORE: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Shredded by Journo During Interview for Being AWOL As Wildfires Rage
It hasn’t gotten any better for Mayor Bass as she sets about to rehabilitate her image. As we reported, the first official press conference she held regarding the wildfires was entirely cold, clinical, and scripted, with Bass even going so far as to say the letters “U R L” instead of giving the web address people could go to to get more information and updates.
“Right now, if you need help – emergency information, resources, and shelter is [sic] available. All of this can be found at U R L,” she proclaimed at the time.
Complicating matters for Bass’ PR rehab tour is how the mainstream media continues to give her the business, with the latest instance coming from a CBS News reporter who grilled her during another press conference about her actions and where to put the blame.
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Instead of answering the questions, she dodged them, telling the reporter during a contentious exchange that her focus right now was on helping save lives and homes, and that they would assess what went right and what went wrong after the fires were out:
During a press conference on Thursday morning, CBS News reporter Jonathan Vigliotti described witnessing the early stages of the Palisades fire without seeing “a single fire engine” in the area before pointing out that Bass was out of the country at the time and asking her “what explains” the “lack of preparation and rapid response.”
“Let me just say, first and foremost, my number one focus and I think the focus of all of us here—with one voice—is that we have to protect lives, we have to save lives and we have to save homes,” Bass responded. “Rest assured…”
Vigliotti interjected by saying “but that did not happen,” prompting Bass to cut him off, wag her finger and continue speaking in response.
“Rest assured, let me finish!” Bass said. “When that is done, when we are safe, when lives have been saved and homes have been saved, we will absolutely do an evaluation to look at what worked, what didn’t work and to correct or to hold accountable anybody… but my focus right now is on the lives and on the homes.”
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Watch:
REPORTER: What explains this lack of preparation and rapid response?
LA MYOR KAREN BASS: My number one focus…is that we have to protect lives, we have to save lives, and we have to save homes. Rest assured —
REPORTER: But that did not happen.
BASS: Let me finish! pic.twitter.com/A7tojlbORL
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 9, 2025
When you’re a Democrat and even the liberal media has turned on you, you know you’re in big trouble. This was a taste of what’s to come for Bass once the smoke clears and the dust settles, not just from the press but also from understandably angry residents who deserve answers and accountability.
FLASHBACK: It’s Raining Cats and Dogs in California—but What Happens to All That Water?