Florida AG files lawsuit against FEMA over alleged political discrimination against Trump supporters
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell called fired worker's actions 'reprehensible'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has filed a lawsuit against current and former officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for allegedly ordering its workers to ignore storm victims who support President-elect Trump.
The revelation made headlines following whistle-blower reports that FEMA workers in Lake Placid, Florida, were told to skip over households of storm victims who showed support for Trump.
"FEMA workers followed these instructions and entered in a government database messages such as ‘Trump sign no entry per leadership,’" the lawsuit states. "According to whistleblowers, ‘at least 20 homes with Trump signs or flags’ in Lake Placid, Florida ‘were skipped from the end of October and into November due to the guidance.’"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Moody vowed to investigate the allegations as Floridians still face the threat of damaging storms this season.
FEMA OFFICIAL FIRED FOR TELLING STAFF TO AVOID HELPING TRUMP SUPPORTERS SAYS AGENCY SCAPEGOATING HER
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody filed a lawsuit against FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and former FEMA supervisor Marn’i Washington. (Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images, File)
"Hurricane season is not over, and the federal agency in charge of emergency response is embroiled in scandal – caught withholding aid from storm victims in Florida who support President Trump," the attorney general said. "I am taking swift legal action to find out how far this political discrimination reaches and to make sure all Americans who fall victim to devastating storms are served, regardless of their political affiliation."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he supports the legal action and further instructed other state agencies to take "any action necessary" to investigate and hold alleged wrongdoers accountable.
"It’s unacceptable for the federal government to discriminate against Floridians who voted for Trump, and especially egregious in the aftermath of a hurricane," he said.
When Fox News Digital reached FEMA for comment about the legal action, a FEMA spokesperson said, "FEMA does not comment on pending litigation," and provided a statement that FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell issued over the weekend about the incident and the firing of the employee.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FIRED FEMA EMPLOYEE SAYS INSTRUCTIONS TO SKIP TRUMP HOMES WERE PART OF ‘COLOSSAL AVOIDANCE’ POLICY
On Saturday, Criswell confirmed to Fox News Digital that the employee had been fired, calling her actions "reprehensible" and a clear violation of FEMA’s core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation.
A tattered Trump 2024 flag on a damaged property in Florida following Hurricane Helene. (Office of Rep. Kat Cammack)
A FEMA spokesperson told Fox News on Friday that the agency was "deeply disturbed" by the fired worker’s actions but insisted it was an "isolated incident."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The fired FEMA supervisor, Marn’i Washington, has said her actions were consistent with agency guidance and were not isolated to her team alone and claimed FEMA is scapegoating her.
"Why is this coming down on me? I am the person that jotted down the notes from my superiors and my notation in [Microsoft] Teams chat was exposed from their search capacity team," Washington told "Fox News @ Night" on Wednesday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The lawsuit is seeking punitive damages against Washington and Criswell in their individual capacities.
Fox News Digital's Gabriel Hays, Michael Dorgan, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, and Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.