A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) official who ordered federal employees to avoid the homes of Trump supporters during Hurricane Milton relief efforts has been relieved of her duties.
The Daily Wire obtained internal correspondence which directed federal employees to “avoid homes advertising Trump” as they surveyed Lake Placid, Florida.
“The FEMA official — Marn’i Washington — conveyed her edict both verbally and in a Microsoft Teams chat used by relief workers canvassing Lake Placid homes ravaged by Hurricane Milton,” the New York Post noted.
A FEMA spokesperson told CNN the agency is “deeply disturbed by this employee’s actions.”
In a “best practices” memo to employees, Washington wrote “avoid homes advertising Trump.”
“A FEMA supervisor who instructed disaster relief officials to avoid homes and not help Americans who showed support for Trump has been relieved of duties, according to an official statement,” Kyle Becker wrote.
“Although the official was not named in the statement, multiple government officials told the Daily Wire that the person responsible for the misguided directive is named Marn’i Washington. According to the Daily Wire’s exclusive report, the FEMA agents ordered not to help citizens with Trump signs were operating in Highlands County, Florida. At least 20 homes were reportedly skipped over,” he added.
JUST IN: A FEMA supervisor who instructed disaster relief officials to avoid homes and not help Americans who showed support for Trump has been relieved of duties, according to an official statement.
“Avoid homes advertising Trump,” the FEMA supervisor wrote in a “best… pic.twitter.com/b1Kk54CpFm
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) November 9, 2024
From the New York Post:
FEMA employees told the outlet that at least 20 homes displaying Trump signs or flags — a common sight during election season — were passed between the end of October and into November because of the order.
“Trump sign no entry per leadership,” read messages left by workers in FEMA’s tracking system when homes were skipped because of the banners.
By ignoring the homes, residents were denied the opportunity to sign up for federal FEMA disaster relief assistance in the wake of the Category 3 hurricane’s landfall.
A FEMA spokesperson confirmed that orders to bypass the homes of Trump supporters were given, and said that the agency was “deeply disturbed by this employee’s actions.”
“FEMA helps all survivors regardless of their political preference or affiliation and we are deeply disturbed by this employee’s actions,” the agency spokesperson told The Post Friday night.
“While we believe this is an isolated incident, we have taken measures to remove the employee from their role and are investigating the matter to prevent this from happening ever again,” they added.
“The 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. 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,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
“New leadership is on the way in DC, and I’m optimistic that these partisan bureaucrats will be fired,” he added.
The 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.
At my direction, the Division of Emergency Management is launching an investigation into the federal… https://t.co/3uFpE62vxb
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) November 8, 2024
Per CNN:
The Daily Wire first reported on the incident, citing internal correspondence between the employee and workers canvassing homes in Lake Placid, Florida, in which she instructed them to “avoid homes advertising Trump.”
The agency is currently investigating how many houses were passed over by the canvassing team as part of the incident that occurred on October 27, the spokesperson told CNN. The agency on Friday deployed a new team to knock on doors in the affected area in an effort to make contact with those who may not have been previously reached.
The spokesperson declined to provide additional information on the incident or detail how agency officials were notified of it, citing the ongoing investigation, but said in the statement that FEMA officials are “horrified that this took place and therefore have taken extreme actions to correct this situation and have ensured that the matter was addressed at all levels.”
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