On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Situation Room,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell responded to a question on whether President Joe Biden should have been speaking publicly about the fires in Hawaii from the beginning by stating that he has “made sure that he’s directing the entire federal government to continue to bring all of our resources in to help this community during this phase, but more importantly, during the long-term recovery phase. He’s been very engaged in this.”
Host Wolf Blitzer asked, “I want to get your thoughts on this, the President’s trip to Maui. You were there with him yesterday. You’ve defended the President’s handling of this crisis. But should he have been out front speaking publicly from the very start? This is the deadliest fire the U.S. has faced, what, in a hundred years?”
Criswell responded, “This is definitely the deadliest fire that we have faced. And that is why I go out immediately at the President’s direction to get in these communities to better understand and assess the situation so I can provide the President with the most accurate information about what the impacts are. And that’s exactly what we were able to do. I was here just a few days after the fire happened. I talked with the governor. I met with officials. I saw firsthand truly the devastation that [happened in this community] to make sure that I had the right information for the President. And then he made sure that he’s directing the entire federal government to continue to bring all of our resources in to help this community during this phase, but more importantly, during the long-term recovery phase. He’s been very engaged in this.”
Blitzer then cut in to ask about the FEMA relief fund.
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