The death toll in Los Angeles County has climbed to at least ten as a result of devastating wildfires that have inflicted major destruction in Pacific Palisades as well as parts of the San Gabriel Valley and the Hollywood Hills. President-elect Donald Trump and others on the far right have responded by blaming California Gov. Gavin Newsom and California’s water policies.But former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele is arguing that “politicized crap” from MAGA Republicans isn’t the least bit helpful — and does nothing to promote disaster preparedness.READ MORE: ‘Fascist ideology’: Veteran actor slams ‘orange idiot’ Trump for ‘nonsense’ claims about LA wildfires During a Friday morning, January 10 appearance on MSNBC, Steele — a Never Trump conservative who supported Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election — told “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski and their colleague Jen Psaki, “You have this convergence of the infrastructure issues, the environmental issues, the misunderstanding of what that urban sprawl actually meant to the infrastructures. So…. it’s not that the fire hydrants don’t have water in them, it’s that we can’t get water to them… So, people are sitting here in the moment: what are you doing to contain this, to get control of it?”Steele continued, “And it has been a political narrative that has not helped, coupled with the crap that is on social media. The misinformation, the disinformation that then becomes politicized because the leadership in California is Democratic, et cetera.” The former RNC chair was highly critical of overtly partisan responses to the Los Angeles County wildfires. Steele argued, “Right now, the focus has gotta be on the governor and the mayor coordinating with as many of the folks on the ground…. to get this thing contained…. And then, you can do that deeper dive into: How do we avoid this in the future? Because it will happen again.” READ MORE: ‘Lies and disinformation’: Critics say Trump got ‘nothing right’ about LA wildfiresWatch the full video below or at this link.
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