CNN Anchor Confronts Mayor Over Deadly Disaster: ‘Do You Bear Any Responsibility?’

CNN anchor Elex Michaelson pressed Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) on her leadership during the deadly wildfires that ravaged the city earlier this year, with Michaelson asking, “Do you bear any responsibility” for what many Angelenos consider the city’s slow and inept response to the disaster.

Bass, during an appearance on Michaelson’s new nightly show, The Story Is, on Friday night, took some blame — before immediately pivoting and putting the blame on ex-LA Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley.

“I mean, at the end of the day, we all know I am the mayor and the buck stops with me,” she said. “However, if I find something that is deficient in a leader in a department, then it is my responsibility to make that change. And so I made the change.”

Bass demoted Crowley in February, a month after LA from the coast to the inland suburbs was devastated by fires. The Palisades Fire killed 12 people and destroyed 6,800 homes and buildings, while the Eaton Fire destroyed more than 9,400 homes and killed 19 people.

The mayor was criticized for her actions before and after the fires started, including taking a trip to Ghana for the inauguration of the country’s new leader. President Donald Trump, when he visited LA shortly after the fires, also ripped Bass for her handling of the disaster during a televised press conference.

Michaelson on Friday pointed out Rick Caruso, Bass’ chief opponent in the last LA mayor race, has called for “full transparency, not a political cover-up” of how the city responded to the fires. Bass said there is “absolutely” no cover-up going on, before taking a swipe at Caruso.

“One of the things that I think has been a tragedy in this whole situation are people who take advantage of folks’ grief and people who use it for political gain and political reasons,” Bass said. “And I think that that is, frankly, shameful.”

“Is that what you think Caruso is doing?” Michaelson asked.

Bass said “I don’t know” what Caruso is up to.

Michaelson then asked for her response to people who have said she failed in her duties as mayor during the fire and that, if her response was better, several people would still be alive.

Bass said she “absolutely understand[s] that people would feel that way. We will get to the bottom of it; change is underway and this will never happen again in our city.”

The CNN interview happened one day after the Los Angeles Times reported firefighters were ordered to stop putting out a small fire that later erupted into the Palisades blaze. Bass said she found that report “extremely troubling” and said she was calling for an investigation into the matter.

Michaelson was a longtime anchor at Fox 11 in LA, before starting his new CNN program last Monday; The Story Is airs weeknights from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. PT.

Watch above via CNN.