The Spin: Jayapal’s Bite of Seattle shooting statement puts pressure on Mayor Katie Wilson
Oct 2, 2026, 2:45 PM | Updated: 2:50 pm
Newly released text messages show U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal questioned whether she and Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson should appear with Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson during the Bite of Seattle shooting response.
Jayapal told Ferguson, “I’m not confident she knows what she is doing.”
The next day, Jayapal issued a public statement emphasizing the importance of keeping the public informed during a crisis while making clear she and Ferguson were not responsible for delays in the mayor’s news conference.
Jayapal said she was notified of the press conference at 10:10 that night and arrived at Seattle Center around 10:40.
She also said Wilson told her officials were waiting for the governor and her to arrive, adding that any delay was a matter of minutes, not hours.
Jayapal then criticized the lack of information provided to the public before the news conference, saying she appreciated Wilson acknowledging that was unacceptable.
And she closed by saying she would work at the federal level to support efforts to improve emergency communication and preparedness.
See if you can catch the spin in Jayapal’s statement.
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