The drama around FEMA continues. The House Oversight Committee is investigating alleged discrimination by the organization against Trump supporters. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) revealed a whistleblower stepped forward.
They claimed that a FEMA contractor visited a disabled veteran's home in October. The contractor urged the family to get rid of any pro-Trump signs in the property.
"He recommended that the family remove Trump campaign materials and signs from their house and yard, stating that his FEMA supervisors view Trump supporters as domestic terrorists," Comer wrote on X. "The elderly homeowners were so frightened by this and afraid that they would not recover their loss that they removed the signs," Comer said. "Nevertheless, FEMA has not returned to their residence."
Comer noted that the incident "took place not in Florida, but Georgia."
FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell has denied any widespread political discrimination in the agency. She said the incident in Florida was an isolated incident. The organization fired FEMA supervisor Marn'i Washington after she instructed workers to avoid homes with Trump signs out front.
FEMA Discrimination
"The evidence that I have seen so far shows that this was an isolated incident, and it has not gone beyond what this one employee did," Criswell said during a House Oversight Committee hearing. "We have not finished our investigation. We have been working with the Office of the Inspector General. It was also referred to the Office of Special Counsel for a potential violation of the Hatch Act. And I have asked the Inspector General to do a full review of this incident."
Criswell says it is "still under investigation."
"We are working with the inspector general to determine whether or not this is broader than this, but the evidence that I have seen so far shows that this was an isolated incident, and it has not gone beyond what this one employee did," she said.
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Meanwhile, Washington claimed that she was just folloiwing procedures placed by her superiors. She accused the organization of using her as a scapegoat.
"FEMA preaches avoidance first, and then de-escalation. This is not isolated. This is a colossal event of avoidance," Washington claimed. "Not just in the state of Florida. You will find avoidance in the Carolinas."
