Karoline Leavitt slams Sen. Schumer, Democrats for blaming Trump over deadly Texas flood

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt chided lawmakers and others who blamed President Trump for the deadly floods in central Texas that claimed at least 91 lives.

She said that the National Weather Service “did its job despite unprecedented rainfall.”

“Unfortunately, in the wake of this once in a generation natural disaster, we have seen many falsehoods pushed by Democrats such as Senator Chuck Schumer and some members of the media, blaming President Trump for these floods is a depraved lie, and it serves no purpose during this time of national mourning,” Ms. Leavitt said at a White House’s press briefing Monday.

She gave a timeline of when the National Weather Service in Austin released forecasts and warnings between July 3 and 4 before the flash flood hit.

“Any person who has deliberately lied about these facts surrounding this catastrophic event, you should be deeply ashamed at this time,” she said. “The administration’s focus will be on giving the victims in their communities the support they deserve during these recovery efforts in this tragic time.”

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, has demanded that the Commerce Department’s inspector general investigate vacancies at National Weather Service offices and whether staffing shortages contributed to the death toll.

Mr. Schumer wrote in a letter Monday to Roderick Anderson, the Commerce Department’s acting inspector general, calling on him to immediately “open an investigation into the scope, breadth, and ramifications of whether staffing shortages at key local National Weather Service (NWS) stations contributed to the catastrophic loss of life and property during the deadly flooding.”

Ms. Leavitt said the National Weather Service executed timely and precise forecasts and warnings on July 3.

“The National Weather Service office in Austin, San Antonio, Texas, conducted forecast briefings for emergency management in the morning and issued a flood watch in the early afternoon,” she said, adding that the same warnings were also issued on the night of July 3 and in the early morning of July 4.

This gave preliminary lead times of more than three hours before flash flooding conditions occurred, Ms. Leavitt said.

“And the National Weather Service office in New Braunfels, which delivers forecasts for Austin, San Antonio and the surrounding areas, had extra staff on duty during the storms, despite claims to the contrary,” she said.