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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg snapped that he was on “personal time” when questioned late Tuesday about his plans to visit the toxic train derailment site in East Palestine, Ohio — before asking if he could take a photo of the reporter.
Jennie Taer, who posted the 46-second video on Twitter, identified herself to Buttigieg as a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation as he walked down the street with his husband, Chasten.
“What do you have to say to the folks in Ohio, East Palestine, who are suffering right now?” Taer asked the 41-year-old.
“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,” Buttigieg responded. “I’d like to have that conversation with you.”
“Do you have a message for them?” Taer persisted.
“I do and I shared that with the press many times today. I refer you to those comments,” Buttigieg repeated.
Taer asked if he could share that message with her.
“No. I’m going to refer you to the comments I made to the press because right now I’m taking some personal time and I’m walking down the street,” the secretary said.
Asked when he would be traveling to Ohio, Buttigieg said he would “share that when I’m ready.”
At that point, the cabinet member stopped and asked Taer if he could take a photo of her.
