Pete Buttigieg said Wednesday that there will be “accountability” if investigations reveal specific entities or individuals are responsible for the Baltimore bridge collapse.
The Transportation Secretary’s pledge comes after President Joe Biden pledged on the day the Francis Scott Bridge descended into the Patapsco River that the federal government would foot the bill for reconstruction.
The 2.6-mile bridge partially collapsed after a cargo container ship crashed into one of the support structures just before 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.
“The president said yesterday that the federal government will pay the full cost of reconstruction. But if you find out that someone is responsible for this, why not make them pay?’ Fox News host Bill Hemmer asked Buttigieg.
Biden’s DOT chief responded: “Yes, there is no question that if the investigation shows that one or more private parties are responsible, they will be held accountable.”
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Wednesday that if anyone is determined to be responsible for the Baltimore bridge collapse, he or she “will be held accountable.”
A freighter crashed into a support structure for the Francis Scott Key Bridge just before 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, causing the 2.6-mile bridge to crumble into the Patapsco River. In the photo: The ship is still stuck under the ruins of the bridge on Wednesday, March 27
This comes after conspiracies circulated online that the crash was somehow intentional – even after police allayed concerns that this could be a terrorist attack.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) was among those who claimed the ship crashing into the bridge was deliberate.
“There should be a serious investigation into the horrific tragedy of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland,” the far-right congressman wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Is this a deliberate attack or an accident?”
David Simon, creator of the Baltimore crime drama The Wire, called MTG a “submorous pratfall of a man” for spreading the conspiracy and said on X that it was likely “port operations” and “bridge maintenance” that were responsible for the conspiracy . tragedy.
Six missing workers who were on the bridge at the time of the collapse are believed to be dead, but the search for their bodies continues.
President Biden responded to the horrific collapse, which was caught on camera, in remarks from the White House on Tuesday.
‘We will make it operational again as soon as possible. 15,000 jobs depend on that port. And we’re going to do everything we can to protect those jobs,” Biden said. “I’m leading my team to move heaven and earth three, open the port, and rebuild the bridge as quickly as possible.”
He added: “It is my intention that the federal government will pay the full cost of rebuilding that bridge. I expect Congress will support my efforts. This will take some time. The people of Baltimore can count on us to be with them every step of the way.”
“We’re not leaving until this job is done.”
The bridge is part of a vital road network in the Baltimore-Washington Metro area and is located in a very busy international port. Many are speculating about how the collapse will have serious consequences for both commuting and port operations in the coming years.
President Joe Biden said in remarks from the White House on Tuesday that the federal government would foot the bill for the reconstruction. “It is my intention that the federal government will pay the full cost of rebuilding that bridge. I expect Congress will support my efforts, this will take some time,” Biden said
Biden claimed that for years he rode over the Francis Scott Key Bridge on his Amtrak train ride from Delaware to Washington, D.C. — but his route did not pass through the area and no train tracks went over the bridge.
“There are certainly a lot of ports on the East Coast,” Buttigieg told MSNBC in a Morning Joe interview. There is no substitute for the Port of Baltimore being operational.”
The Minister of Transport said at another point in the interview: ‘We are doing everything we can to get this bridge back up and that port open again.’
Florida congressional candidate Anthony Sabatini said Tuesday on X that diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are responsible for the collapse.
Republicans argue that DEI is used to promote unfair practices that discriminate against certain groups and especially push liberal agendas. They say companies should not participate in DEI and instead focus on delivering their services to the best of their ability.
Sabatini’s claim that “DEI did this” regarding the bridge collapse could refer to the hiring practices implemented to meet certain quotas, rather than dedicating time and resources to maintaining the bridge structure and quality port activities.