By New York Post (Politics) | Created at 2024-11-20 06:11:12 | Updated at 2024-11-23 10:03:23
3 days ago
A whistleblower informed the House Oversight Committee on Tuesday that at least some Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials consider supporters of President-elect Donald Trump to be “domestic terrorists.”
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) revealed that the “new whistleblower” claimed a FEMA contractor visited the home of an elderly disabled veteran’s family last month and encouraged them to get rid of pro-Trump signage on their property.
“He recommended that the family remove Trump campaign materials and signs from their house and yard, stating that his FEMA supervisors view Trump supporters as domestic terrorists,” Comer wrote on X.
The contractor’s warning terrified the family, which was reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Helene, and they promptly complied.
“The elderly homeowners were so frightened by this and afraid that they would not recover their loss that they removed the signs,” Comer said. “Nevertheless, FEMA has not returned to their residence.”
The chairman noted that the alleged incident “took place not in Florida, but Georgia.”
The whistleblower came forward on the same day FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell was grilled by the oversight panel on allegations that the agency discriminates against Trump supporters when conducting relief work and offering aid to storm-ravaged communities.
Criswell insisted during the hearing that there is no evidence of widespread political discrimination within FEMA — even when presented with evidence that employees have acknowledged it as a common practice.
The hearing follows the revelation earlier this month that now-fired FEMA supervisor Marn’i Washington instructed relief workers canvassing Lake Placid, Fla., to evade homes with signs backing Trump.
After her firing, Washington, 39, told YouTube podcaster Roland Martin that she was simply following FEMA’s policy of avoiding “politically hostile” homes when she asked her team to “avoid homes advertising Trump” in a “best practices” memo.
An official at FEMA corroborated Washington’s assertions, telling The Post last week that skipping houses with Trump banners and “white or conservative-dominated” disaster areas was common practice.
In response to questions about The Post’s reporting, Criswell only told lawmakers that the situation is “still under investigation.”
“We are working with the inspector general to determine whether or not this is broader than this, but the evidence that I have seen so far shows that this was an isolated incident, and it has not gone beyond what this one employee did,” Criswell told the committee.
FEMA did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment on the latest accusation of political bias against the agency.
