Liberal podcaster and former Obama staffer criticizes LA mayor for being abroad during wildfires: 'Unbelievable'

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was criticized by former Barack Obama spokesman and "Pod Save America" podcast co-host, Tommy Vietor, for being abroad during the wildfires that devastated her city.

On Wednesday, Vietor responded to a critical social media post about Bass, stating that he had not seen any valid reason for the Democratic mayor's absence from Ghana when she posted.

Vietor criticized Nick Bilton's recent post about an inexplicable decision not to return earlier.

Bass has been heavily criticized after it was reported that she was out of the country in Africa when the fires began breaking out on Tuesday.

During Bass's overseas trip, a devastating fire swept through Los Angeles County, claiming five lives, destroying homes and buildings, and forcing at least 130,000 people to evacuate.

The ongoing devastation has been attributed to Bass' incompetence by prominent figures.

In his post, Bilton criticized the mayor, arguing that Karen Bass had cut fire department funding by $17+ million and was in Ghana when the fires started, despite knowing about them days before. He believed that the fires should have been treated as a CAT 5 Hurricane, but instead, the mayor dismissed it as not important enough to be addressed.

The Los Angeles Times owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, criticized the mayor over the LAFD budget cuts, stating on X, "Our hearts go out to those who have lost their homes and are seeking shelter. Fires in LA are unfortunately not a surprise, yet the Mayor cut the LA Fire Department's budget by $23M. Reports of empty fire hydrants raise serious questions. Competence matters..."

Despite Bass' original budget proposal seeking to cut $23 million, the city cut only around $17 million from the department last year, making Soon-Shiong's $23 million number inaccurate.

It seems like we're in a third world country here, as the former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso stated, "Our mayor is out of the country, and our city is on fire with no resources to put them out."

Sarah Michelle Gellar, an actress from Hollywood, criticized the city leadership on Instagram for having gridlock and no traffic cops during an evacuation order.

In Los Angeles, influencer and model Amber Rose questioned on Instagram, "How is there low water pressure when the fire hydrants barely work? This is unbelievable!"

In a recent Truth Social post, President-elect Donald Trump criticized both the mayor of L.A. and Governor Gavin Newsom of California.

"For three days, the fire has been spreading rapidly with zero containment. The failed numbers are unprecedented. Gavin Newscum and Karen Bass's gross incompetence is to blame. Biden's FEMA has no money left due to the Green New Scam. L.A. is completely wiped out."