Posted on 11/13/2024 3:51:53 AM PST by MtnClimber
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) supervisor accused of directing workers to skip hurricane-ravaged homes in Florida with Trump signs, claimed in an interview Monday that the policy was widespread and that she was being scapegoated.
Marn’i Washington was fired on Saturday after whistleblowers told the Daily Wire that at least 20 homes with Trump signs or flags were passed over at the end of October into November due to the guidance, depriving them of the opportunity to qualify for FEMA assistance. She had worked for the agency since 2019.
According to internal FEMA messages obtained by the Daily Wire, Washington directed workers to “avoid homes advertising Trump” as they canvassed Lake Placid, Florida looking for residents who could qualify for federal aid.
This happened in Highlands County, “a deep-red area located in south central Florida that backed Trump by 70 percent on Tuesday,” the Daily Wire reported. The area was ravaged by tornadoes, torrential wind, rain, and flooding after Milton made landfall at Siesta Key on October 9 as a category 3 hurricane.
Washington’s directive was one among multiple “best practices” the agency recommended, along with “practice de-escalation and preventative measures,” “bring a towel with you tomorrow in the field” and take “frequent breaks and drink water.”
During an interview with YouTube podcaster Roland Martin Monday, Washington,39, explained that she had just been following FEMA’s policy of avoiding “politically hostile” homes. She said her supervisor had approved the message, explaining: “FEMA preaches avoidance first, and then de-escalation. This is not isolated. This is a colossal event of avoidance.”
“Not just in the state of Florida. You will find avoidance in the Carolinas,” said Washington, adding that the incident reports would substantiate that FEMA workers were being met with “hostility” at homes with Trump Campaign signs.
“If you look at the record, there is what we call a community trend, and it just so happened that the political hostility that was encountered by my team—and I was on two different teams during this deployment—they just so happened to have the Trump Campaign signage,” Washington asserted.
“Senior leadership will lie to you and tell you that they do not know, but if you ask the crew leads and specialists what they’re experiencing in the field, they will tell you,” she continued. “Demand for FEMA to give you those incident reports, they will substantiate what is happening to us in the field.”
“FEMA’s very well aware of the incidents that take place, not just with my crew, but with all the crews in the states,” Washington added.
The embattled former FEMA worker claimed that she knew of houses in the past had also been marked “politically hostile” when they had Harris-Walz signs or no political signs at all.
“We omitted these homes for safety precautions, not because of political play,” she insisted.
“If you greet any of our team members with hostility or aggression, we will deescalate and disengage and move on,” she said. “We cannot take the risk and deal with that type of behavior.”
Washington told Martin that she was fired from her job with a private real estate firm in the wake of the controversy, and had to move from her home due to threats.
A former FEMA official told the New York Post, however, that the policy of “openly” avoiding Trump-supporting houses had “been practiced by agency workers for years,” and suggested that the practice had noting to do with perceived “hostility.”
The ex-FEMA source said current employees told him that disaster assistance teams skip openly Trump-supporting houses in the name of DEI.
The unofficial policy is to “prioritize the most under resourced, marginalized communities first,” the source said.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has launched an investigation into the practice, calling it “blatant weaponization of government by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy is yet another reason why the Biden-Harris administration is in its final days” in a statement Friday.
“At my direction, the Division of Emergency Management is launching an investigation into the federal government’s targeted discrimination of Floridians who support Donald Trump,” DeSantis said. “New leadership is on the way in DC, and I’m optimistic that these partisan bureaucrats will be fired.”
The House Oversight Committee meanwhile launched an investigation into FEMA on Friday and sent a letter to Criswell requesting she testify at a hearing to answer questions about the agency’s response to hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said on X Tuesday that the Senate Homeland Security Committee also needs to investigate the matter.
“The Homeland Security Committee needs to launch an immediate investigation and call this individual to testify. Under oath. In public,” Hawley said.
With Republicans retaking the Senate, Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is line to take the HSGAC gavel early next year.
Not just at FEMA. Remember the IRS?
23,000 employees at FEMA.
Meanwhile, from last night...
Elon Musk
@elonmusk
All actions of the Department of Government Efficiency will be posted online for maximum transparency.
Anytime the public thinks we are cutting something important or not cutting something wasteful, just let us know!
We will also have a leaderboard for most insanely dumb spending of your tax dollars. This will be both extremely tragic and extremely entertaining 🤣🤣
Quote
Insurrection Barbie
@DefiyantlyFree
·
11h
. @elonmusk and @VivekGRamaswamy are about to transform the government. I am so excited about this government efficiency unit.
I have some suggestions on what to cut:
1. Payments to dead people
2. Money for Pakestani gender studies
3. Boosting Egyptian tourism
4. Make up
Show more
9:13 PM · Nov 12, 2024 20.3M Views
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1856520760656797801
“We omitted these homes for safety precautions, not because of political play,” she insisted.“
So you issued a directive not to stop at homes with Harris/Walz signage ?
Racist sow needs to be fired immediately and brought up on of civil rights violations.
A black woman unjustly fired by a white woman.
This isn’t going to end well for FEMA.
Who better to dismantle FEMA than African American Elon Musk and Indian American Vivek Ramaswamy?
I believe her. This doesn’t absolve her of guilt, but I’m glad she’s speaking up about it. Dems being Dems.
from the article:
“The embattled former FEMA worker claimed that she knew of houses in the past had also been marked “politically hostile” when they had Harris-Walz signs or no political signs at all.”
Oh I believe her alright, just look what they did to the people in Ashville, NC and Eastern Kentucky too.
We were all questioning ...What the hell is wrong at FEMA and Where the hell are they?
And frankly as one Tennessee YouTuber puts often:
Ain’t nobody coming to help you when SHTF, you and your community are on your own.
People in East Tennessee and Ashville were using donkeys, mules, and ATV’s. Had to set up make shift distribution areas that FEMA government folks tried to shut down, FEMA sent electric chainsaws...ELECTRIC to areas without power.
Mayorkas claimed there was no money or not enough money to help people!
They got away with it for Helene, glad it is being uncovered regarding Milton.
Now, they need to own their cruelty.
“23,000 employees at FEMA”
I read somewhere (maybe even here) a year or two ago that only $1 in $3-$4 depending on time of year only makes it to the people that are victimized, the balance feeds the bureaucracy.
On that note one wonders that some of the GOPe senate/house members might not be typical pigs at the money trough and debt junkies if they don’t want to get primaried for which they’d be targeted. Perhaps it won’t be so close at times, it is irritating to hear talking heads speak of the GOPe members in exact numbers when they are part of the uniparty.
Perhaps Musk and others will target these uniparty types making these spending/omnibus votes not so GOPe but GOP.
Pres. Trump, if you’re lurking and this can and should be done...
https://www.flra.gov/50th_Anniversary_EO10988
Rescind it.
Whoever generated that list had clearly read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which of course emphasizes the importance of always going about with a towel.
That or South Park’s Towlie.
“...a Widespread Practice Due to ‘Political Hostility’...”
Uhhhh, so THAT makes it OK????
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