‘Let Me Finish!’: Karen Bass Snaps At Reporter Who Dares To Question Her Leadership

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, got testy with CBS reporter Jonathan Vigliotti during a Thursday morning press conference regarding the multiple wildfires still blazing in the area.

Vigliotti and others have pressed Bass, who returned from a taxpayer-funded trip to Africa only after the fires began, to account for her absence when weather services had warned that the conditions were ripe for massive fires and also for the fact that the Los Angeles Fire Department has reported a lack of necessary resources to fight the fires.

WATCH:

REPORTER: What explains this lack of preparation and rapid response?

LA MYOR KAREN BASS: My number one focus…is that we have to protect lives, we have to save lives, and we have to save homes. Rest assured —

REPORTER: But that did not happen.

BASS: Let me finish! pic.twitter.com/A7tojlbORL

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 9, 2025

“Mayor, L.A. County is in a panic state. It began two days ago with the Palisades fire. My crew and I arrived shortly after it started and for several hours, we watched as hundreds of homes in the neighborhood burned to the ground and we did not see a single fire engine,” Vigliotti began. “We watched as good samaritans guided traffic.”

“There was fear and there was a lot of confusion. You were out of the country at the time. Shortly after the fire started, a press release was put out warning of this fire behavior,” he continued, turning to question Bass directly. “My question to you is, what explains this lack of preparation and rapid response?”

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“Let me just say first and foremost my number one focus and the focus of all of us here with one voice is that we have to protect lives, we have to save lives, and we have to save homes. Rest assured that —” Bass replied.

Viglioti objected: “But that didn’t happen.”

“Rest assured! Let me finish!” Bass protested. “Rest assured, when that is done, when we are safe, and homes have been saved, we will absolutely do an evaluation to look at what worked, what didn’t work, and to correct or to hold accountable anybody, department, individual, etc. But my focus right now is on the lives and on the homes.”

“Do you think your leadership was effective while responding to this disaster?” Vigliotti pressed again.

“I just said what I believe is the most important thing for us to do right now,” Bass replied. “And that is going to continue to be my focus. Thank you.”