Florida officials allege ‘pervasive’ discrimination against Trump supporters at FEMA
BRADENTON BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan held a news conference in Bradenton Beach on Friday discussing alleged “political discrimination” against supporters of President-elect Donald Trump from FEMA in the wake of back-to-back hurricanes.
This comes after a FEMA supervisor was fired for instructing workers to withhold aid, or “skip over”, homes displaying Trump campaign signs in Lake Placid.
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“It wasn’t a question of whether this happened,” Moody said. “I think it’s now a question of how did this happen and what’s being done about it.”
It is unclear whether this was an isolated incident, or indicative of what Republican officials have called “widespread discrimination” against supporters of the president-elect. Moody said whistleblowers have come forward with claims of discrimination in multiple states.
“I think that tells you that as we move through this, as we get discovery, as things come out of hearings, that you’re going to find that this was more pervasive,” Moody said.
Republican officials are demanding answers. Buchanan, who represents Manatee County and part of Hillsborough County, and 54 House colleagues co-signed a letter to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell asking the agency to identify any additional incidents.
“We have 54 members that we’ve got on a letter to the administrator to make sure that she understands that we’re going to be very tough and focused on this,” Buchanan said.
Moody filed a lawsuit last week against Criswell and former FEMA supervisor Marn’i Washington, seeking punitive damages and citing whistleblower claims. Like the letter, the lawsuit aims to uncover “how far this political discrimination reaches,” according to a statement from Moody.
“As you can see in Florida, we still need help,” Moody said Friday. “The lawsuit that Florida is pursuing – we will do so aggressively, we will seek expedited discovery. We will get to the bottom of how extensive this is.”
Appearing before a House subcommittee investigating the federal government’s response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton on Tuesday, Criswell said she would support an independent investigation and she does “not believe that this employee’s actions are indicative of any widespread cultural problems at FEMA.”
In the wake of the congressional hearings, Moody urged the agency to “course-correct” and to “make sure they are serving all Americans, all Floridians, regardless of political opinion.”
The lawsuit and investigation follows mounting tensions between the federal agency, Republican lawmakers and some residents of areas impacted by the recent hurricanes. In North Carolina, an armed man was accused of threatening FEMA workers responding to an area impacted by Hurricane Helene and calling on others to join.
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