Staff Reports
The Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has decided enough is enough, taking on FEMA like a heavyweight champion taking on a featherweight for targeting Trump supporters in the midst of hurricane recovery efforts. It seems the federal agency, tasked with assisting those in dire need after natural disasters, opted to play political favorites instead of lending a helping hand to all Floridians equally. Who knew that a storm could reveal such hardball politics hidden beneath rescue boats and disaster relief packages?
Moody’s lawsuit names FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and a former supervisor as the culprits, alleging they violated the civil rights of Hurricane Helene and Milton victims who just so happen to have a red MAGA hat hanging in their closet. The claim is that FEMA’s so-called “aid” was directed away from homes in Lake Placid that proudly showcased their support for the President, effectively turning disaster assistance into a political game of dodgeball. Talk about kicking Americans when they’re down!
TAKING ACTION: Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has filed a lawsuit against current and former officials of FEMA for allegedly ordering its workers to ignore storm victims who support President-elect Trump. https://t.co/Lab2ftlVmi pic.twitter.com/p5YKhKnDLu
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 14, 2024
The sources of this impending legal headache appear to trace back to internal communications that revealed a startling directive from none other than Marn’i Washington, a Disaster Survivor Assistance crew leader. In what could only be branded as disaster snubbing, she allegedly told aid teams to steer clear of lending assistance to Trump supporters during their relief efforts in Hurricane Milton. For an agency meant to rise above politics, this is exactly the kind of drama one expects from reality television, not a federal disaster response team.
Upon realizing the firestorm brewing, FEMA acted swiftly to terminate Washington’s employment, though one might wonder how many other political misadventures this agency can sweep under the rug. Criswell promptly labeled it as a violation of FEMA’s core values—a statement that has more twists than a hurricane’s trajectory. Everyone knows that in the storm of federal bureaucracy, principles often take a backseat to partisan perspectives.
But wait, it gets better. Washington hinted this discriminatory disaster relief wasn’t an “isolated” incident. If she’s to be believed, similar treatment may have occurred in North and South Carolina following their own brush with Hurricane Helene. It seems the tentacles of this discriminatory practice might stretch far beyond the Sunshine State. As FEMA wrestles with this growing mess, it’s abundantly clear: if there were an Olympic sport for bureaucratic missteps, they would surely win gold—while the rest of the nation keeps an eye out for their own rights in the wake of disaster.
