Rep. Jayapal doubted Seattle Mayor Katie Wilsons leadership over mass shooting response in texts with governor

Progressive House Rep.Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) doubted Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s leadership as officials scrutinized her response to the deadly mass shooting at a food festival.Jayapal expressed the lack of confidence she had in the self-identified socialist mayor following the Bite of Seattle massacre that left three dead and four others wounded in July.“Give me a ring I’m wondering if we should be there at all,” Jayapal wrote in a series of text messages to Washington Democrat Gov.

Bob Ferguson on July 26, according to KOMO News.“I’m not confident she knows what she is doing.”The five-term congresswoman appeared to be talking about a news conference that had been delayed for five hours before officials briefed the public on the shooting that killed two men, 19 and 44, and a 56-year-old woman.During their text exchange, Ferguson urged Jayapal to reach out to Wilson directly instead of going through him for information.City officials were being panned for the long delay that left the city in the dark for hours following the violence that erupted outside the Seattle Center near the Space Needle at around 6 p.m.The texts between Jayapal and Ferguson are part of a larger file dump that the governor’s office released Wednesday, detailing the communications between officials in the aftermath of the shooting.Jayapal, who has represented Washington District 7 – including a large portion of Seattle – since 2017, had been coordinating with Ferguson to get information about the shooting.The congresswoman had earlier suggested being included in any of Wilson’s news conferences.“I spoke to her.Suggested that if they are doing a public conference, it would be good if we are all there,” Jayapal wrote to Ferguson, who “agreed.”Briefing calls were held between 8 and 9 p.m.Jayapal later revealed she was told to stay away from the Seattle Center because it was an active investigation scene.Both Ferguson and Jayapal learned about the 11 p.m.

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