Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has filed a lawsuit against current and former officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for allegedly directing its workers to ignore storm victims who support President-elect Trump.
The revelation made headlines following whistleblower reports that FEMA workers in Lake Placid, Florida, were asked to bypass the homes of storm victims who were showing support for Trump.
“FEMA workers followed these instructions and entered messages such as ‘Trump signs no entry for leadership’ into a government database,” the lawsuit states. “According to whistleblowers, ‘at least 20 homes with Trump signs or flags’ in Lake Placid, Florida, ‘were omitted from late October through November due to guidance.'”
Moody promised 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 IS TAKING HER AS A SCAPIGOAT
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)
“The hurricane season is not over and the federal agency in charge of emergency response is embroiled in a scandal: It was caught withholding aid from Florida storm victims who supported President Trump,” the attorney general said. “I am taking swift legal action to uncover the extent of this political discrimination and to ensure that all Americans who are victims of devastating storms receive services, regardless of their political affiliation.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he supports the legal action and also instructed other state agencies to take “any action necessary” to investigate and hold alleged wrongdoers accountable.
“It is unacceptable for the federal government to discriminate against Floridians who voted for Trump, and especially egregiously after a hurricane,” he said.
When Fox News Digital contacted FEMA for comment on 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 regarding the incident and the employee’s termination.
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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 of helping people regardless of political affiliation.
A tattered Trump 2024 flag on 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.”
Fired FEMA Supervisor Marn’i Washington has said her actions were consistent with the agency’s guidelines and were not limited to just her team and claimed that FEMA is making her a scapegoat.
“Why does this fall on me? I’m the person who wrote down my superiors’ grades and my notes on [Microsoft] The teams’ chat was exposed by their search capability team,” Washington told “Fox News @ Night” on Wednesday.
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The lawsuit seeks punitive damages against Washington and Criswell individually.
Fox News Digital’s Gabriel Hays, Michael Dorgan, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
