The Washington Post is pushing back at the widely-used claim by liberals that Trump-era policies rolling back safety protocols were responsible for the disastrous train derailment in Ohio earlier this month.
In a report published Monday, Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler did a deep dive on "every possible regulatory change" made during the Trump presidency that could have resulted in the toxic spills that have plagued the rural town of East Palestine.
"From our analysis, none of the regulatory changes made during the Trump administration at this point can be cited as contributing to the accident," Kessler wrote.
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Kessler determined the Trump administration rolling back the Obama-era policy of enforcing specific brakes on long trains only had a "minimal" role since those brakes would have only been required for "high hazard flammable trains" while the one in question was a "mixed freight train."
Another Obama-era policy nixed by Trump would have required a two-person crew, but Kessler said this had no impact on the Norfolk Southern incident because that train had three workers onboard. He also ruled out that minimal safety requirements and safety audits as well as the deregulation of ethylene oxide were factors.
"So far, Trump’s rollback of regulations can’t be blamed for Ohio train wreck," Kessler declared in the report's headline.
Several members of the Biden administration, including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, have attempted to point the finger at former President Trump, suggesting his administration's actions allowed the toxic train derailment to happen.
"It was definitely an ironic thing to do. You take down regulations, you water down regulations, you weaken the power of the administration to deal with freight railroad companies, and then you show up wanting to be a great friend of the people who have been impacted by a rail disaster," Buttigieg said about Trump's visit to East Palestine.
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The media also pushed narrative, some going even beyond Trump. "The View" co-host Joy Behar appeared to blame voters in East Palestine, who heavily voted for Trump in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, for the hardship that was brought to them.
"That’s who you voted for in that district. Donald Trump, who reduces all safety," Behar told East Palestine residents.
