Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis is warning President Joe Biden and FEMA leadership to make sure they preserve all evidence related to the agency’s apparent discrimination against Floridians who support Donald Trump that were affected by Hurricane Milton, according to a Saturday letter to the White House first obtained by The Daily Wire.
DeSantis’s office is demanding that Biden, FEMA, and DHS take “immediate steps” to preserve all records and documentation related to the incident, including any communications between FEMA, DHS, and other federal entities that “could provide evidence of partisan bias in the denial of disaster benefits.”
“I have been made aware of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) politicization of hurricane recovery assistance in Florida. Specifically, FEMA’s actions withholding federal assistance for disaster impacted Floridians based on political affiliation,” wrote Kevin Guthrie, the executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
“As you know, FEMA plays a critical role in assisting individuals and communities during times of disaster and crisis,” continued Guthrie, who signed himself as the governor’s authorized representative. “It is essential that the Agency’s actions be fair, impartial, and focused on the needs of those affected, notwithstanding their political beliefs; any actions otherwise erode credibility with the public that we are entrusted to serve.”
READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: FEMA Official Ordered Relief Workers To Skip Houses With Trump Signs
“As the Executive Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), it is my duty to faithfully serve all Floridians and ensure that every individual gets the aid that they deserve, notwithstanding their individual beliefs—political or otherwise.”
The letter includes a copy of an explosive report from The Daily Wire, based on internal correspondence and the confirmation of multiple federal employees, exposing that a federal disaster relief official ordered workers to skip the homes of Americans who displayed flags or signs supporting Donald Trump as they offered support to those impacted by Hurricane Milton.
In his letter to FEMA and the White House, Guthrie said “these actions undermine public trust in our recovery efforts.”
“Given the significant impact these decisions have on individuals and communities—many of whom are already vulnerable in the wake of a disaster—it is imperative that the full scope of any such misconduct be investigated and addressed,” he wrote.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Daily Wire’s reported Friday that FEMA supervisor Marn’i Washington told workers to “avoid homes advertising Trump” as they canvassed Lake Placid, Florida to find residents who qualified for federal aid. Washington relayed the message both verbally and in a group chat used by the relief team, multiple government employees told The Daily Wire.
Microsoft Teams chat used by FEMA workers. / The Daily Wire
Due to this guidance, FEMA skipped at least 20 homes with Trump signs or flags between the end of October and beginning of November, the government employees said. The Daily Wire previously published images showing the houses that were skipped by the workers, who noted in their government systems: “Trump sign no entry per leadership.”
These employees were part of a Department of Homeland Security surge capacity force team, which means that they volunteered from other DHS agencies to aid FEMA with the second major hurricane in a month.
“I know they’re short-staffed, I thought we could go help and make a difference,” one of the employees told The Daily Wire. “When we got there we were told to discriminate against people. It’s almost unbelievable to think that somebody in the federal government would think that’s okay.”
“I volunteered to help disaster victims, not discriminate against them,” the employee added. “It didn’t matter if people were black, white, Hispanic, for Trump, for Harris. Everyone deserves the same amount of help.”
Following publication of The Daily Wire’s report on Friday, FEMA said that it was “deeply disturbed” by the news.
“While we believe this is an isolated incident, we have taken measures to remove the employee from their role and are investigating the matter to prevent this from happening ever again,” FEMA told The Daily Wire. “The employee who issued this guidance had no authority and was given no direction to tell teams to avoid these homes and we are reaching out to the people who may have not been reached as a result of this incident. This is a matter that we take extremely seriously and we are doing everything we can to make sure all survivors receive support from FEMA.”
FULL STATEMENT: “FEMA helps all survivors regardless of their political preference or affiliation and we are deeply disturbed by this employee’s actions. While we believe this is an isolated incident, we have taken measures to remove the employee from their role and are…
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) November 8, 2024
