CBS NEWS EXCLUSIVE: Maui Mayor Remains SILENT

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It’s been more than 3 months since the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century ripped across Maui. But critical questions about what led to the destruction abound, and CBS News’ @JonVigliotti has learned top Maui officials are being uncooperative with the investigation.

UPDATE:

In a statement to CBS News, Mayor Bissen’s office confirmed he had not been formerly interviewed but added: “We have not wavered from our commitment to cooperate with the State’s investigation and in fact in the last 12 or so weeks since the State announced its intent to conduct one, there has been 86 interviews of firefighters and a large amount of information provided...It is inaccurate to accuse the County of being uncooperative in the investigation.”

The office also said every Maui police officer who responded to the fire will be providing a written statement.

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MAUI COUNTY OFFICIALS UNCOOPERATIVE WITH FIRE INVESTIGATION

from Free Hawai`i TV

HONOLULU, HAWAI`I - The Free Hawai`i TV airing online at FreeHawaiiTV.com starting this Wednesday, November 29th, 2023 quotes CBS News as reporting that three months after the deadly Maui wildfire, Maui county officials are being uncooperative with an official investigation.

“Multiple sources are telling CBS News that Maui county officials, from Mayor Richard Bissen on down, are not responding to requests for interviews from Hawai`i state officials who are conducting an official investigation about the fire launched by governor Josh Green,” remarks Free Hawai`i TV host `Ehu Kekahu Cardwell.

“According to CBS News Maui county police and Hawai`i emergency management agency officials have also been uncooperative with the investigation. CBS News reports that if they do not start cooperating soon, Hawai`iʻs attorney general, who is leading the investigation, will start issuing subpoenas.”

CBS News reports that the investigation is looking into how Maui countyʻs emergency officials responded before, during and after the fire which killed at least one hundred people between the ages of seven and ninety-seven and also reduced thousands of buildings and homes to ash filled with cancer causing heavy metals.

“This is beginning to look quite suspicious because one of the things that CBS News has confirmed is that radio communications which could have saved lives that were working at the time of the fire were not being monitored by emergency officials,” stated Cardwell.

The Hawai`i attorney general is expected to release preliminary findings within a few weeks. 

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UPDATE: Fire: AG Subpoenas Maui County Officials