Three more FEMA employees have been fired as part of the agency’s investigation into guidance from a supervisor last year for relief workers in Florida to “avoid homes advertising Trump.”
FEMA Acting Director Cameron Hamilton sent a letter on Tuesday to Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), informing her of the firings and announcing the conclusion of the agency’s internal investigation. Hamilton said that the three fired employees were in the supervisory chain of FEMA supervisor Marn’i Washington, who was fired on November 9 after The Daily Wire reported that she instructed relief workers in Lake Placid, Florida, to skip homes with Trump flags or signs after Hurricane Milton.
“As you know, FEMA terminated that crew lead’s employment with the agency on November 9. Since then, in cooperation with the Office of Inspector General and the Office of the Special Counsel, FEMA’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) — which reports directly to me — conducted an exhaustive investigation of this incident to determine the full extent of any further inappropriate behavior or misconduct,” Hamilton wrote, according to a copy of the letter shared with The Daily Wire. “That investigation has now concluded, and upon my review of all related materials, three additional individuals have been terminated.”
The firings were first reported on by the New York Post.
In the letter, Hamilton said that the three employees had not met the agency’s standards of conduct and that he wanted to send a message that political bias in disaster relief was not acceptable.
“This action has been taken both because of their failure to meet our standards of conduct and because it is essential that the entire workforce understand that this incident was reprehensible, and this type of behavior will not be tolerated at FEMA,” he wrote.
“The OPR investigation found no evidence that this was a systemic problem, nor that it was directed by agency or field leadership,” he added. “However, it did determine that those in the immediate supervisor chain of the single staff member who engaged in this conduct should have had more direct control of their subordinates’ behavior. Thus, they failed to meet my expectations of leaders in this organization and have been terminated.”
Washington had claimed that there was a mass pattern of “avoidance” by FEMA workers throughout the South for political reasons. The Office of Special Counsel filed a complaint last month against her recommending that she face further disciplinary action.
Washington’s direct supervisor was an employee named Chad Hershey, according to an organizational flow chart previously obtained by The Daily Wire. He did not respond to request for comment.
The House Committee on Homeland Security previously requested an interview with Hershey as part of its investigation into the incident. When first contacted by The Daily Wire back in November, Hershey said that he was “aware” of the situation with the Trump guidance, and that it was being looked into.
“We are aware of it and we are taking proper action in this situation currently,” Hershey said, adding that “we are taking action at this moment regarding the situation that you’re talking about.”
At least 20 homes in Lake Placid were skipped due to the guidance. Those homes were visited the day after news of the guidance broke, according to previous FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. Hamilton told Blackburn that he ordered employees to undergo additional training to “reinforce that political affiliation should never be a consideration in the rendering of assistance.”
