Former NJ Gov. Chris Christie slammed Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass for their response to the wildfires in Los Angeles, arguing it was an ‘enormous failure.’
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie slammed California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other leaders for their lack of wildfire preparedness, calling the response an “enormous failure” as thousands of structures were destroyed and at least 24 people lost their lives across Los Angeles County.
Christie called out Newsom for refusing to take accountability for the crisis during “The Brian Kilmeade Show,” accusing him, and local leaders, of mismanaging the state’s response to the historic fires.
“It’s an enormous failure, Brian, and an enormous disappointment for the people of California and now a tragedy for all those families that have been affected,” Christie told Kilmeade on Monday. “And when you’re the governor of a state and a natural disaster happens, there is no one more accountable than you. There can be no one who the public is relying upon more than you.”
“You can’t sit there and say, ‘Jeez… I don’t know. Let me find out.’ You have to be on top of it right from the beginning,” he continued. “These fires started. We knew they were coming. We knew they were expanding.”
Both the Eaton and Palisades fires started on Tuesday last week and have so far burned nearly 40,000 acres combined. The Eaton fire, which is centered around Pasadena, has caused 16 deaths, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner says. The Palisades fire has claimed eight additional lives, and both fires remain largely uncontained as of Monday morning.
Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass have faced fierce criticism since the fires began last week for their handling of the catastrophe, with many arguing they were not properly prepared as entire communities turned to ash.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Christie said. “The photo albums, the memories that you lose, the videos of our children. Those are things that can’t be replaced. So what [the] government needs to do is to step up to the plate and be there to give them the cash they need to replace the things that are replaceable, and Governor Newsom has failed, and Mayor Bass, quite frankly, looks like she doesn’t know what’s going on either.”
Bass, who was overseas at the time the fire began, admitted on Thursday that up to 20% of the city’s hydrants were dry, which prompted firefighters to avoid tapping hydrants as a result.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) was initially pumping aqueducts and groundwater into the system, but demand was so high that there wasn’t enough to refill three 1-million gallon tanks in the hilly Pacific Palisades that help pressurize hydrants.
Newsom demanded an independent investigation into the incident, calling it “deeply troubling.”
“The ongoing reports of the loss of water pressure to some local fire hydrants during the fires and the reported unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir are deeply troubling to me and to the community,” he said. “While water supplies from local fire hydrants are not designed to extinguish wildfires over large areas, losing supplies from fire hydrants likely impaired the effort to protect some homes and evacuation corridors.”
Nonetheless, Newsom sparred with President-elect Donald Trump over allegations he mismanaged the state’s water supply – all while he has faced calls to resign.
“Taking political shots at Donald Trump is not the thing to be doing at this point,” Christie said. “As a responsible governor, no matter how Gavin Newsom feels about Donald Trump, that doesn’t matter. The American people have elected Donald Trump to be the president, and it’s your obligation as the governor to work in good faith with him, not to take political shots at him.”
“So that is a complete lack of accountability and credibility, and quite frankly, Governor Newsom should be ashamed of himself,” he continued.
Meanwhile, Newsom was pressed on his role in the crisis, its management and whether he supports Bass and her efforts to tackle the catastrophe, but he largely avoided answering the questions all together.
Christie argued his avoidance was indicative of future political ambitions as many speculate he will eventually launch a presidential bid.
“This is a guy who all he wants to do is run for President of the United States, that’s all he’s worried about at the moment,” Christie said. “What he should be worried about is doing his damn job.”
Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
