CNN’s Briana Keilar gave it all she had to try to pin down Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA), who was repeatedly asked if the Trump White House responded to his concerns about staffing levels at national parks – but remained tight-lipped.
The moment unfolded Tuesday as the California lawmaker, whose district is home to a number of national forests and includes Lake Tahoe and Death Valley, was pressed by Keilar as she referenced a New York Times report that said nearly 4,000 campsites across California’s national forests could shutter as the summer months approach.
“Do you know how many of those campsites are in your district?” Keilar asked. Kiley repeatedly dodged the question and instead used the opportunity to praise his district’s natural wonders. He added during the CNN interview that his letter to the White House stressed “the importance of enabling our parks to be able to staff up for the peak visitation seasons that are coming soon.”
While he provided few details beyond that, saying that the letter “was just sent a few days ago," that didn't stop Keilar from pressing him.
“But I asked you, do you know how many campsites are in your district, and have you gotten an answer to that letter?” Keilar responded.
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That resulted in both the CNN host and Kiley talking over each other as the GOP lawmaker refused to provide a direct answer.
“There's quite a few campsites in my district,” he said. The host went on to ask whether he had received a response from the White House twice more after she rattled off all the U.S. Forest Service facilities threatened for closure in his district.
“So you're talking about staffing up, but that appears to be perhaps some of the least of your problems right now because they're staffing down, even from what would be lower seasonal numbers,” she said. “Have you gotten an answer from the White House to your letter?”
When Kiley instead pivoted to Lake Tahoe – "one of the truly great wonders we have in the entire country" – Keilar said: “Should I take that as a no?”
Kiley eventually responded that "the administration has expressed its commitment to working with us to make sure that we have the staffing levels that we need in order to maintain access to our parks."
Watch the clip below or at this link: