A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) supervisor has been fired for instructing her subordinates to jump over a house with President Trump signs and banners, but her actions were consistent with agency guidance and she It is now stated that this was not an isolated incident for the team.
Supervisor Marni Washington for instructing disaster relief workers rallying in Lake Placid, Fla., after Hurricane Milton to “avoid homes promoting President Trump.” Anger erupted and he was fired by FEMA.
The Daily Wire first reported that government officials provided information to at least 20 families. with Mr. Trump “Best practices” guidance from Washington avoided signs and flags in late October and into November. According to the paper, the workers jumped over houses and wrote messages on government systems, including “President Trump Signs No Trespassing by Leadership.”
On Saturday, FEMA Administrator for Employee Misconduct DeAnn Criswell confirmed to Fox News Digital that Washington had been fired, calling her actions “reprehensible.” It said it was a clear violation of FEMA's core values and principles of helping people regardless of their political affiliation.
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A FEMA spokesperson told Fox News on Friday that FEMA is “deeply disturbed” by Washington's actions, but insisted this was an “isolated incident.”
Aftermath of Hurricane Helen (Office of Representative Kat Cammack)
A spokesperson said: “The employee who provided this guidance was not authorized and was not given instructions to instruct the team to avoid these homes. We may not have been able to contact them due to this incident. “We're reaching out to people of color,” he said.
On Monday's episode of the “Roland Martin Unfiltered” podcast, Washington said her directive to avoid homes determined to be hostile or dangerous to workers followed FEMA procedures.
“They all claim that these actions were done with my own knowledge and for my own political advancement. But the records show that we were not in the community. “There's something we call a 'trend,' and unfortunately, that's exactly what happens. It was a coincidence that my team encountered a political adversary… They just happened to be holding a Trump campaign sign.” said.
Washington claimed her directive came after team members received verbal and physical threats from hurricane victims who held signs in support of the former president. She said her instructions follow FEMA's “avoidance” and de-escalation policies.
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Drone footage of a destroyed beach house after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Manasota Key, Florida on October 11, 2024. (Reuters/Ricardo Arduengo/File Photo)
Contrary to FEMA's claims, the incident was isolated, and Washington said similar “evasion” procedures are in place in North Carolina as well as Florida.
“Senior leadership will lie to you and say they don’t know, but if you ask the DSA, [disaster survivor assistance] They will tell you what the crew leaders and experts are going through in the field,” she said. “FEMA always preaches avoidance first and de-escalation second, so this issue is not isolated. This is a huge event of avoidance, not just in Florida, but in the Carolinas. We’re going to see evasion in the states as well.”
Republican Rep. James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, last week called for a hearing on the case to be held on Nov. 19. Washington said it welcomed an investigation by Republicans in Congress.
“Please [investigate]. They will realize that this is not an isolated thing. I say this over and over again. This is tremendous,” she said. “We have a request for FEMA to provide us with these incident reports. They will demonstrate what we are experiencing on the ground.”
A home damaged by Hurricane Helen on October 8, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina. (Asheville Citizen Times)
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In response to a request for comment from Fox News Digital, FEMA forwarded Criswell's Nov. 9 statement condemning Washington's actions.
“A FEMA employee departed from these values by advising a survivor assistance team not to visit a home with a yard sign supporting President-elect Trump,” Criswell said in a statement. . “We want to be clear to all employees and the American public: This type of behavior and behavior will not be tolerated at FEMA and we will hold you accountable when you violate these standards of conduct.”
Fox News Digital's Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
