A Federal Emergency Management Agency employee was fired after instructing a disaster relief team to “avoid homes advertising” Donald Trump. The crew was canvassing in Florida on Oct. 27 following Hurricane Milton, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said Saturday. The ex-employee’s conduct, she called “reprehensible,” before adding “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.” Criswell addressed the incident in a series of posts on X Saturday, where she reiterated “This is a clear violation of FEMA’s core values & principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation.” The agency is reportedly investigating how many houses were skipped by the team in question, a spokesperson told CNN. And, on Friday, a new team was deployed to connect with residents who may not have been reached. That same day, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he directed state officials to investigate a “blatant weaponization of government by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy,” pointing the finger at President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
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.
