It’s not unusual for a politician who screwed up to find a scapegoat to cast blame on to take the heat off themselves.
But it’s somewhat unusual for a scapegoat to fight back in open court instead of falling on her sword.
Former Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley filed notice to sue Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and the city for “defamation, retaliation, and negligence.” Crowley was fired in February for what Bass said was the fire department’s “slow response” to the massive Palisades fire, which destroyed or damaged nearly 8,000 homes, businesses, and other structures, killing at least 12 people in the affluent neighborhood.
“Integrity, truthfulness, and serving others before self have guided me throughout my career,” Crowley said in a statement. “As the Fire Chief, for nearly three years, I advocated for the proper funding, staffing and infrastructure upgrades to better support and protect our Firefighters, and by extension, our communities. The lies, deceit, exaggerations, and misrepresentations need to be addressed with the only thing that can refute them – the true facts.”
Two days before the wildfire hit the Palisades, Bass went traipsing off to Africa with Joe Biden. This, despite warnings of the danger of wildfires in Pacific Palisades.
The firing of Crowley was a means to distract attention from the city’s feeble response to the fire, as Bass invented reasons to fire Crowley.
“We know that 1,000 firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke out were instead sent home on Chief Crowley’s watch,” Bass said in a statement on Feb. 22, the day she officially removed Crowley.
“This claim is false,” Crowley’s legal team claims. “The LAFD did not have enough functioning fire engines, trucks, or ambulances to support such a deployment. Dozens of vehicles sat broken or salvaged for parts in maintenance yards because of years of deferred investment and budget cuts.”
Crowley’s legal team stated that Mayor Bass also claimed Crowley failed to properly notify her of the catastrophic weather event that contributed to the growth of the Palisades Fire. Her team denied that, saying that the LAFD coordinated with city agencies in early January, knowing high winds were on their way.
“These were not simple mistakes. These were falsehoods that were repeated publicly to deflect blame from the Mayor’s absence during a predicted emergency and the consequences of her own decisions.”
Crowley pointed out that Bass had cut more than $17 million from the department’s budget, including money that could have been used for maintenance and repair.
Help PJ Media continue to tell the truth about the Trump administration’s accomplishments as we continue to usher in the Golden Era of America. Join PJ Media VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.
