FEMA supervisor fired for ordering workers to skip homes of Trump supporters

(by Jennie Taer, Josh Christenson, Emily Crane, Chris Nesi, NY Post) – The Federal Emergency Management Agency supervisor accused of telling staff to skip hurricane-ravaged homes that had Trump campaign signs claims it wasn’t an “isolated” incident — and that she’s been hung out to dry.

Marn’i Washington, who was fired last week over the saga, broke her silence in an interview with YouTube podcaster Roland Martin Monday, arguing she had just been following a widespread FEMA policy of avoiding “politically hostile” homes.

“FEMA preaches avoidance first, and then de-escalation. This is not isolated. This is a colossal event of avoidance,” said Washington, 39.

“Not just in the state of Florida. You will find avoidance in the Carolinas.”

A FEMA official backed up Ms. Washington’s claims, telling The Post the agency’s practice of skipping Trump-supporting houses — or avoiding “white or conservative-dominated” disaster zones altogether — is an open secret at the agency that has been going on for years. [Later implying during the Biden-Harris administration]

Congressional Republican lawmakers whose states were in the path of the back-to-back storms have vowed to take swift action to determine whether the agency abdicated its duties for political reasons, announcing plans to launch multiple investigations.

Ms. Washington accused FEMA of lying after the federal agency said she had no authority to give the directive to disaster relief workers who were canvassing homes in Lake Placid, Fla., in the wake of last month’s Hurricane Milton.

The FEMA official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Ms. Washington likely received “very clear guidance” from her supervisors.

“I have heard from other entities who are serving in North Carolina that there was clear guidance saying to be ‘mindful’ of the types of people who are in Western North Carolina — they’re largely Republican, very conservative — very derogatory sorts of references in their culture,” the official told The Post.

FEMA employees did receive threats in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton as a result of misinformation, and a sheriff in Tennessee reported that an armed group threatened aid workers.  However, FEMA employees are trained to deal with threats in disasters, the official said, adding that the agency’s real motive in avoiding certain areas in need is “equity.” The source went so far as to say “it’s not crazy” to say the agency has been instructing personnel to exclude white communities.

The [unnamed official who spoke to the Post] said the state of affairs was especially dismaying considering the fact that rendering assistance in disaster areas is more of a calling than a mere job to any FEMA staffers.

“I’m sad for the … four years that we have gone through for the entire agency because emergency management is something that you don’t just stumble into … it’s something that you have a passion for because you believe in the mission space across the board. And we’ve set ourselves back,” the source said.

However, FEMA has denied Ms. Washington’s claims. She told Martin that she suspected her superiors would not be forthcoming if asked about any official policy that discriminates on political ideology grounds.

“Senior leadership will lie to you and tell you that they do not know, but if you ask the [Disaster Survivor Assistance] crew leads and specialists what they’re experiencing in the field, they will tell you,” she said.

“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.

Ms. Washington said there have been instances in the past where houses had been marked “politically hostile” when no Trump signs were present.

“We omitted these homes for safety precautions, not because of political play,” she said. [Although paragraph 10 notes: “FEMA employees are trained to deal with threats in disasters.”]

While the exact number of homes the agency skipped due to alleged hostility was not immediately known, Highlands County Emergency Management, which oversees Lake Placid, Florida told The Post that approximately 50 homeowners had reached out after the agency put out a call for residents to report their house was passed over.

As a result, the agency said FEMA will be re-canvassing the entire Lake Placid area, as well as any other areas the prior Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) crews had covered — amounting to approximately 3,000 homes.

… Ms. Washington said once emergency workers on the ground “start seeing a trend” — of hostility, particularly when linked to a common “characteristic” such as Trump yard signs, “I inform my direct report that we’re experiencing hostile encounters and that we’re moving onto another street — we’re not canvassing those homes.”

Ms. Washington’s firing came after the federal agency started probing allegations she had told FEMA workers on the ground – both verbally and in a Microsoft Teams chat – to avoid the homes.

“Avoid homes advertising Trump,” she wrote in a “best practices” message to employees, the Daily Wire reported, citing copies of the memo.

… By ignoring the homes, those residents were denied the opportunity to sign up for federal disaster relief assistance in the wake of the Category 3 hurricane’s landfall.

In announcing Ms. Washington’s termination, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said the directive was a violation of the agency’s “core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation.”

“I will continue to do everything I can to make sure this never happens again,” Criswell said.

Meanwhile, Washington — who had worked with FEMA since 2019 — said she was also terminated from another job she held with a private real estate firm in the wake of the controversy. …

Florida GOP Rep. Carlos Gimenez ripped the Biden admin’s handling of the entire scandal as “reprehensible.”

“The Biden administration weaponized FEMA to purposely deny Trump-supporting Americans critical aid & assistance during a natural disaster,” Gimenez told The Post on Tuesday.

“As a member of the Homeland Security Committee, overseeing FEMA, we must hold those responsible accountable & ensure those impacted receive the assistance they are rightfully entitled to.”

The FEMA source told The Post that current employees said disaster assistance teams skip openly Trump-supporting houses in the name of DEI.

Published at nypost .com on November 12, 2024. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission.