DETROIT – The governor went to the auto show in Detroit on Tuesday to sell the idea that Flint's water crisis is getting under control and that his "relentless positive action" is, in effect, making a difference.
Yet, the biggest question involves the governor's understanding of the crisis and when that happened. His former chief of staff, Dennis Muchmore, sent a concerned email to the state health agency this past July fearing the state of Michigan was blowing off Flint residents' water system concerns.
"I would echo his concern and, in fact, we got bad information back from the people that responded," said Snyder. "We eventually got the right information and we took prompt action when we got the right information."
Snyder said that happened in October. It's January and the state still has not gotten FEMA involved.
"There is no delay. This is the normal process. Again, when you remember the floods here in Detroit that took over 30 days to go through that process. It's about doing it in a prompt, efficient way," said Snyder.
Governor: 'This is part of my legacy'
The governor has been reluctant to characterize the crisis and its impact on his administration. That changed on Monday.
"This is part of my legacy. I'm responsible for the entire state and our operations, but there are many other good things going on, and we're working hard to recover from the situation in terms of doing the right thing," he said.