The House Homeland Security Committee plans to interview fired FEMA supervisor Marn’i Washington about her instructions to relief workers in Florida to skip homes displaying Trump signs or flags, according to a letter first shared with The Daily Wire.
Committee Chair Mark Green (R-TN) requested Friday that Washington appear for a transcribed interview to discuss her recent claims that FEMA has a widespread policy of avoiding “politically hostile” homes. Washington made the comments after The Daily Wire reported that she instructed federal relief workers in Lake Placid, Florida, to “avoid homes advertising Trump.”
Green wrote that the interview was part of the committee’s investigation into “potential discrimination against disaster victims based on political affiliation” and wanted to schedule the interview by November 25. He said the interview would help lawmakers as they seek “to uncover the complete nature and extent of FEMA’s misconduct in withholding federal assistance from Americans based on political affiliation.”
The letter was also signed by Reps. Dan Bishop (R-NC) and Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY).
“Natural disasters don’t consider a person’s political beliefs when devastating homes, businesses, and livelihoods,” Green told The Daily Wire. “Alleged guidance within FEMA to discriminate against fellow Americans in their time of need represents an unacceptable failure to fulfill the agency’s vital mission and a betrayal of the public trust that deserves oversight.”
He added that the committee plans to uncover whether Washington’s instructions were isolated or “systemic practice” at the Department of Homeland Security. If systemic, Green said “it would mean an unknown number of vulnerable Americans have been passed over for necessary resources simply because of their protected speech.”
Whistleblowers assigned to Washington’s relief team told The Daily Wire that they skipped at least 20 homes in Lake Placid due to the guidance. FEMA fired Washington on November 9, calling the guidance an “isolated” incident that did not reflect the agency.
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“Government discrimination against American citizens based on a political sign or flag promoting a particular candidate is not only an outrageous abuse of power and a serious betrayal of the public trust, but a direct violation of the First Amendment,” Green wrote. “This discrimination has no place in our government, and the Committee is determined to ensure that such actions do not occur again in any of FEMA’s operations.”
In an interview after she was fired, Washington told Roland Martin that FEMA’s suggestion that she made an independent decision to avoid certain homes is a mischaracterization, stating that it is agency policy and likely happening in the Carolinas.
Green referenced this interview in his letter to Washington on Friday and encouraged her to cooperate with their investigation.
“While FEMA may maintain that this was an isolated incident, you suggested in a recent interview that this practice of discrimination was widespread throughout FEMA, including in disaster response efforts in North Carolina,” he wrote.
The House Oversight Committee grilled FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell about the guidance on Tuesday.
