MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” co-host Willie Geist blasted Bill de Blasio on Wednesday, saying it’s “pathetic” that New York City mayor’s staff would politicize a bomb scare at Trump Tower.
Trump Tower was partially evacuated in a potential bomb scare on Tuesday afternoon but the suspicious package was just an unattended bag of toys and posed no threat. A member of de Blasio’s staff tweeted that he would send Trump’s transition team the bill for the cost to evacuate the building.
“It’s just pathetic. It’s just sad,” Geist said. “That we’ve reached that point where there’s a bomb scare in the lobby and you tweet something cute about it.”
Co-host Mike Barnicle chimed in, “It’s embarrassing for the de Blasio administration.”
According to the Washington Post, the lobby of Trump Tower is accessible to the public from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. under the terms of an agreement with the city, making securing the building a headache for both NYPD and the Secret Service. De Blasio has repeatedly complained about the cost of protecting the building.
Trump Tower, a 58-floor skyscraper in midtown Manhattan, serves as the residence of President-elect Donald Trump, as well as the offices for both his business and transition teams as Trump prepares for his inauguration on Jan. 20.
Trump was not in Trump Tower at the time of the evacuation. The president-elect has been spending the holidays at his Palm Beach, Florida, resort called Mar-a-Lago.
The joke that didn’t land well with the “Morning Joe” team came after Trump’s press secretary Sean Spicer tweeted, “Back to work here at Trump tower after a false alarm. Thanks NYPD.”
No problem. We'll send you the bill. https://t.co/mxbUqzgHds
— Eric Phillips (@EricFPhillips) December 27, 2016