Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas didn’t have much time for storm victims in North Carolina on Thursday, flying back to Washington, D.C., to grab something stylish to go.
Mayorkas spent less than six hours in North Carolina before returning home to DC and grabbing some food at Nobu, a high-end Japanese restaurant chain that offers high-quality food. according to the New York Post.
That same afternoon, Mayorkas made waves by joining a White House press briefing remotely from North Carolina, where he said he was speaking “firsthand” with FEMA officials and local leaders from communities affected by the hurricane. Helene.
But after the briefing he quickly returned home, having satisfied the optics of President Joe Biden’s storm response.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks alongside US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas in a video appearance.
US President Joe Biden delivers a speech on the federal response to Hurricane Milton during a briefing from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
Republicans chastised Mayorkas for being “out of touch” and told the Post they were furious after seeing photos of his expensive takeout order.
“It’s offensive that the secretary is wasting his time eating overpriced sushi rolls at fancy restaurants when he should be working to get humanitarian aid immediately to people who desperately need basic necessities,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson. Mail.
Even a Democratic congressional source told the Post anonymously that Mayorkas’ actions were “the definition of insensitive and the epitome of elitism.”
Mayorkas was also stained by the Washington Free Beacon last weekend shopping for clothes at Sid Mashburn, an expensive men’s clothing store in Georgetown as Americans were fighting for their lives due to historic flooding.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas shopped for luxury clothing in Georgetown on Saturday.
More than 200 Americans died from Hurricane Helene, which devastated the Appalachian region of South Carolina, Tennessee and North Carolina, as well as Alabama and Georgia.
Twelve people died from Hurricane Milton and it is estimated that more than three million were left without power.