After a barrage of questions from reporters about the federal government's failure to adequately meet the growing humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico, Homeland Security adviser Tom Bossert assured Americans:
This is textbook and it's been done well.
That should be super comforting to the people in Puerto Rico we see crying on our TV screens, desperately begging for help.
Bossert is either completely ignorant of the images the rest of us are privy to or he's lying. Whatever the case, he reiterated multiple times during Thursday's White House press briefing how "confident" he is that the Trump administration has handled post-Maria relief efforts with aplomb. When asked about criticism from a mayor in Florida who said their problems with distributing aid to the island were purely a result of their lack of foresight, Bossert delivered this doozy:
I would challenge him to go down and get a better understanding first before rendering that verdict on what we've done, what we have been doing and how blown away you’re going to be when you see the full totality of the picture.
“Blown away”—heck of a word choice, Boss. Bossert proceeded to demonstrate exactly the lack of foresight that has trapped much of the lifesaving supplies in thousands of containers at Puerto Rico's main Port of San Juan.
Reporter: “Why has it taken 8 days to get a 3-star general” to Puerto Rico?
Tom Bossert: "It didn't require a 3-star general 8 days ago.”
Bossert also blamed the media for "giving the impression" that "we aren't moving fast enough." He must be referring to the reporters on the ground in Puerto Rico doing the yeoman’s work of bringing the heartbreaking stories and images into the homes of Americans across the country.
Psst: Do your job, Bossert. If the media isn't getting the whole picture, that’s your fault not theirs.
But the fact is, the Trump administration didn't move fast enough and they have totally and thoroughly botched this response effort. If that's "textbook," the book needs to be rewritten.
And it's about time Bossert and the other Trump minions quit trying to stuff this down our throats as "a good news story." Your incompetence precedes you.