Free Republic

Whistleblowers at the Federal Emergency Management Agency have come forward in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene to accuse the agency of misappropriating funds and generally mismanaging its responsibilities. This is according to a letter sent by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whose department includes FEMA. FEMA has come under fire for its response to Hurricane Helene, which ravaged North Carolina, Georgia, and other states and left over 200 dead.

Five current and former leaders of this suburban Los Angeles city were charged Thursday with the misappropriation of more than $100,000 in public funds. Mayor Louis Byrd, Mayor Pro-Tem Fernando Pedroza and former City Council members Armando Rea, Arturo Reyes and Ricardo Sanchez were scheduled to be arraigned Friday, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said in a statement. Authorities allege the five collected thousands of dollars in taxpayer money by charging personal expenses to city credit cards and other schemes. In one case, prosecutors said Pedroza charged $1,500 on a city credit card to pay for an exotic...