We support our Publishers and Content Creators. You can view this story on their website by CLICKING HERE.
After guidance on pro-Trump yard signs landed her out of a job, the FEMA supervisor behind the controversial message asserted the agency had turned her into a “scapegoat.”
The latest scandal involving the Biden-Harris administration’s Federal Emergency Management Agency took under a bus, or so alleged since terminated supervisor Marn’i Washington. As reports of her directing employees to “avoid homes advertising Trump” led to her firing, she contended to the Washington Examiner that she was being treated as a “patsy” as the “shorthand” instructions were taken out of context.
In speaking with the outlet, Washington confirmed the accuracy of the messages initially reported by the Daily Wire, but went on to argue that they were a response as “FEMA workers were having their lives threatened.”
By her account, the “shorthand” message was to let supervisors “know specific streets we could not do because of hostile political encounters,” with intent “to keep the team safe.”
Washington argued, “The running trend of those encounters just so happened to [be at houses that] have Trump campaign signage.”
“The notation that was leaked had nothing to do with their political stance. It was with the objective of safety,” she told the Examiner.
In order to confirm the veracity of the assertions, the outlet detailed that it had filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Department of Homeland Security to obtain incident reports Washington spoke of
“I agree with the whistleblowers. They are telling the truth,” she said. “What we have is ourselves to survive.”
“And they will tell you, ‘Oh, if you do get in too much of a pickle, call 911,’” contended Washington of the agency’s stance on how to deal with potentially dangerous encounters.
In response to the reports of Washington’s messages, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and other officials had called for investigations of what he called the “blatant weaponization of government by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy…”
Concerns and outcry had prompted FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell to release a statement Saturday that noted of the “reprehensible” communication that “this type of behavior and action will not be tolerated at FEMA and we will hold people accountable if they violate these standards of conduct.”
“This employee has been terminated and we have referred the matter to the Office of Special Counsel,” she indicated.
We take our mission to help everyone before, during and after disasters seriously. This employee has been terminated and we have referred the matter to the Office of Special Counsel. I will continue to do everything I can to make sure this never happens again.
— Deanne Criswell (@FEMA_Deanne) November 9, 2024
FEMA had previously expressed worry about certain communities in the wake of Hurricane Helene’s damage in North Carolina were it had been alleged that “militia” were “out hunting” agents after the dreadful response to the disaster. As a result, a stand down order had been issued prompting all FEMA officials to evacuate Rutherford County.
Meanwhile, Washington conveyed to the Examiner, “This is the second time Trump’s been going into office, and FEMA has been up to some shenanigans that don’t necessarily agree with the American political views.”
“Everybody deserves a chance at disaster relief, and they have not figured out a way [to accomplish that] without subjecting their teammates to hostile work environments,” she went on as she alleged FEMA “ghosted her” and “used my silence and allegiance to subject me to more scrutiny and to use me as a scapegoat for what’s going on.”
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.