Hurricane Victim in Georgia Told to Remove Trump Yard Signs Because FEMA Officials Considered Trumpers ‘Domestic Terrorists’
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) contractor allegedly told an elderly disabled veteran homeowner last month that in order to receive assistance, he would need to remove his Trump signs from his yard, because the agency considers Trump supporters to be “domestic terrorists.”
House and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer asserted on Tuesday that a whistleblower told his staff that the encounter between the FEMA contractor and the disabled veteran’s family happened in October following Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“My staff just made contact with a new whistleblower who provided a credible account that a FEMA contractor visited the home of an elderly disabled veteran’s family around October 10,” Comer posted on X. “While there, 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 added that the elderly homeowners were “so frightened by this and afraid that they would not recover their loss” that they complied and removed the signs. Regardless, FEMA did not returned to their residence.
Earlier this month, the Daily Wire reported that a FEMA official in Florida had ordered workers to skip over homes with Trump signs as they surveyed the damage caused by Hurricane Milton, last month.
The now-fired FEMA supervisor Marn’i Washington had directed workers to “avoid homes advertising Trump” as they canvassed Lake Placid, Florida looking for residents who could qualify for federal aid.
Washington, who has since been fired, relayed this message verbally on October 22, and again in a group chat used by the relief team on October 27.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis immediately announced in a statement, that he was launching an investigation into the federal government’s targeted discrimination of Floridians who support Donald Trump, calling it a “blatant weaponization of government by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy.”
Washington defended herself in an interview with YouTube podcaster Roland Martin last week, explaining that she was only following FEMA’s policy of avoiding “politically hostile” homes, and claiming it was a widespread practice.
During an interview on NewsNation’s “Dan Abrams Live,” she said she was being “framed.”
“There’s no violation of the Hatch Act. I was simply following orders,” Washington said. “I execute orders. I don’t create policy. I do not reinvent the wheel. My record shows that,” she said later in the interview.
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee grilled FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell Tuesday afternoon over Washington’s directive that staff avoid houses with Trump campaign signage. Criswell has repeatedly denounced the employee’s actions, calling it “reprehensible” and that the agency “takes its mission to help everyone before, during and after disasters seriously.
“In the wake of Hurricane Milton, at least one FEMA official engaged in political discrimination against supporters of President Trump,” said Comer in his opening statement. “This official ordered employees to discriminate against vulnerable Americans affected by a hurricane when they needed assistance the most.”
He continued: “This same employee alleged on TV that this was not an isolated event, and that FEMA essentially treats the homes of President Trump’s supporters as if they were homes of people with vicious dogs. This is unacceptable, and Americans demand accountability.”
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) asked Criswell during the hearing whether Washington was “lying” about the practice of discriminating against Trump supporters being common and whether she had directly spoken to the 13 other FEMA workers who had received the orders.
Criswell told Jordan that she had not yet spoken to them but suggested they would be interviewed as part of an investigation into the incident.
The administrator also said she had requested an Office of Inspector General investigation into the orders.
House and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer asserted on Tuesday that a whistleblower told his staff that the encounter between the FEMA contractor and the disabled veteran’s family happened in October following Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“My staff just made contact with a new whistleblower who provided a credible account that a FEMA contractor visited the home of an elderly disabled veteran’s family around October 10,” Comer posted on X. “While there, 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 added that the elderly homeowners were “so frightened by this and afraid that they would not recover their loss” that they complied and removed the signs. Regardless, FEMA did not returned to their residence.
Earlier this month, the Daily Wire reported that a FEMA official in Florida had ordered workers to skip over homes with Trump signs as they surveyed the damage caused by Hurricane Milton, last month.
The now-fired FEMA supervisor Marn’i Washington had directed workers to “avoid homes advertising Trump” as they canvassed Lake Placid, Florida looking for residents who could qualify for federal aid.
Washington, who has since been fired, relayed this message verbally on October 22, and again in a group chat used by the relief team on October 27.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis immediately announced in a statement, that he was launching an investigation into the federal government’s targeted discrimination of Floridians who support Donald Trump, calling it a “blatant weaponization of government by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy.”
Washington defended herself in an interview with YouTube podcaster Roland Martin last week, explaining that she was only following FEMA’s policy of avoiding “politically hostile” homes, and claiming it was a widespread practice.
During an interview on NewsNation’s “Dan Abrams Live,” she said she was being “framed.”
“There’s no violation of the Hatch Act. I was simply following orders,” Washington said. “I execute orders. I don’t create policy. I do not reinvent the wheel. My record shows that,” she said later in the interview.
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee grilled FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell Tuesday afternoon over Washington’s directive that staff avoid houses with Trump campaign signage. Criswell has repeatedly denounced the employee’s actions, calling it “reprehensible” and that the agency “takes its mission to help everyone before, during and after disasters seriously.
“In the wake of Hurricane Milton, at least one FEMA official engaged in political discrimination against supporters of President Trump,” said Comer in his opening statement. “This official ordered employees to discriminate against vulnerable Americans affected by a hurricane when they needed assistance the most.”
He continued: “This same employee alleged on TV that this was not an isolated event, and that FEMA essentially treats the homes of President Trump’s supporters as if they were homes of people with vicious dogs. This is unacceptable, and Americans demand accountability.”
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) asked Criswell during the hearing whether Washington was “lying” about the practice of discriminating against Trump supporters being common and whether she had directly spoken to the 13 other FEMA workers who had received the orders.
Criswell told Jordan that she had not yet spoken to them but suggested they would be interviewed as part of an investigation into the incident.
The administrator also said she had requested an Office of Inspector General investigation into the orders.
70-79, M
