A whistleblower informed the House Oversight Committee on Tuesday that at least some Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials consider supporters of President-elect Donald Trump to be “domestic terrorists.”
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) revealed A “new whistleblower” claimed that a FEMA contractor visited the home of an elderly disabled veteran's family last month and encouraged him to remove pro-Trump signs on the property.
“He told his family that FEMA supervisors considered Trump supporters to be domestic terrorists and advised them to remove Trump campaign materials and signs from their home and yard,” Comer told X. I wrote it.
The family, reeling from the damage caused by Hurricane Helen, was frightened by the contractor's warning and quickly followed through.
“The elderly homeowners were so scared by this that they removed the signs because they feared they wouldn't be able to recover their losses,” Comer said. “Despite this, FEMA has not returned to their residences.”
The chair noted that the alleged incident “occurred in Georgia, not Florida.”
The whistleblower brought FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell under scrutiny from an oversight committee over allegations that the agency discriminated against Trump supporters in providing relief efforts and aid to storm-ravaged communities. He came forward on the same day.
Criswell argued at the hearing that there was no evidence of widespread political discrimination within FEMA, even when presented with evidence that employees accepted it as common practice.
The hearing comes after now-fired FEMA Supervisor Marni Washington told relief workers in Lake Placid, Florida, to flee a home displaying pro-Trump signs. This was done after the incident was discovered earlier this month.
After her firing, Ms. Washington, 39, told YouTube podcaster Roland Martin that her request for her team to “avoid homes that promote President Trump” in a “best practices” memo was due to “politically hostile people.” He said he was simply following FEMA's policy of avoiding “homes that are private.”
FEMA officials corroborated Washington's claims, telling the Post last week that it is common practice to skip homes with Trump banners and affected areas that are “majority white or conservative.” he said.
In response to questions about the Post's reporting, Criswell told lawmakers only that the situation was “still under investigation.”
“We are working with the Inspector General to determine if this is more widespread than this, but the evidence we have seen so far indicates that this is an isolated incident and that this one employee committed It’s not beyond the act,” Criswell said. he told the committee.
FEMA did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment on recent accusations of political bias against the agency.
