Latest news with #Criswell
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida settles with FEMA over claims of bias against Trump-supporting hurricane victims
Video above: Lake Placid residents respond to anti-Trump former FEMA worker TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been cleared of wrongdoing in a case alleging systematic bias against President Donald Trump within the organization. The state of Florida sued FEMA last year amid reports that workers denied aid to hurricane victims in Highlands County who displayed Trump signs. 'It's horrible': Lake Placid residents respond to anti-Trump former FEMA worker The state sued FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and supervisor Marn'i Washington, alleging Washington 'conspired with senior FEMA officials' to skip over those homes, according to a complaint filed by Sen. Ashley Moody last year when she served as Florida Attorney General. Washington was fired after the claims surfaced. Moody claimed Washington's actions were at Criswell's direction, but new court documents revealed that a FEMA probe 'found no evidence that this was a systemic problem, nor that it was directed by agency or field leadership.' At the time the lawsuit was filed, Criswell called the supervisor's conduct 'reprehensible' and said it went against the agency's 'core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation.' 'The United States and Ms. Criswell regret the actions giving rise to this case and agree with the State of Florida that those actions never should have occurred,' a Monday email from the Department of Justice to the Florida Attorney General's Office stated. 'We are also hopeful that, in light of all we have provided, the state of Florida and its people can be confident that FEMA is striving to avoid a repeat of the events giving rise to this case and that the agency is committed to the fair, compassionate, and even-handed delivery of services.' The Florida Attorney General's Office informed the court a settlement was reached earlier this month. A federal judge ordered the case dismissed with prejudice on Tuesday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
FEMA cleared of wrongdoing in probe into anti-Trump bias
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been cleared of wrongdoing in a probe focusing on anti-Trump bias, according to a Monday court document. According to a Justice Department email in the document, a FEMA probe investigating bias against Trump-supporting homes allegedly displayed by a Florida-based FEMA employee in the wake of Hurricane Milton and Helene 'found no evidence that this was a systemic problem, nor that it was directed by agency or field leadership.' The document came as part of a case in which Florida sued former FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and the employee, Marn'i Washington, but Florida and Criswell have now come to a settlement. Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), then the Sunshine State's attorney general, alleged late last year that Criswell 'agreed' to refuse Trump supporters relief with Washington, who was terminated. 'While the facts will continue to come out over the weeks and months, it is already clear that Defendant Washington conspired with senior FEMA officials, as well as those carrying out her orders, to violate the civil rights of Florida citizens,' read Moody's November complaint. A few days before the original Florida complaint in the case, Criswell publicly confirmed the termination of Washington and criticized the alleged behavior of Washington. 'This is a clear violation of FEMA's core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation. This was reprehensible,' Criswell said in a November statement. Washington said in a previous interview that it was usual practice to skip specific streets following prior 'hostile' interactions and that FEMA was throwing her under the bus. 'They all alleged that these actions were made on my own recognizance and that it was from my own political advances. However, if you look at the record, there is what we call a community trend. And unfortunately, it just so happened that the political hostility that was encountered by my team — and I was on two different teams during this deployment — they just so happened to have the Trump campaign signage,' Washington said previously. The Hill has reached out to Washington, FEMA and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier for comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
29-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
FEMA cleared of wrongdoing in probe into anti-Trump bias
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been cleared of wrongdoing in a probe focusing on anti-Trump bias, according to a Monday court document. According to a Justice Department email in the document, a FEMA probe investigating bias against Trump-supporting homes allegedly displayed by a Florida-based FEMA employee in the wake of Hurricane Milton and Helene 'found no evidence that this was a systemic problem, nor that it was directed by agency or field leadership.' The document came as part of a case in which Florida sued former FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and the employee, Marn'i Washington, but Florida and Criswell have now come to a settlement. Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), then the Sunshine State's attorney general, alleged late last year that Criswell 'agreed' to refuse Trump supporters relief with Washington, who was terminated. 'While the facts will continue to come out over the weeks and months, it is already clear that Defendant Washington conspired with senior FEMA officials, as well as those carrying out her orders, to violate the civil rights of Florida citizens,' read Moody's November complaint. A few days before the original Florida complaint in the case, Criswell publicly confirmed the termination of Washington and criticized the alleged behavior of Washington. 'This is a clear violation of FEMA's core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation. This was reprehensible,' Criswell said in a November statement. Washington said in a previous interview that it was usual practice to skip specific streets following prior 'hostile' interactions and that FEMA was throwing her under the bus. 'They all alleged that these actions were made on my own recognizance and that it was from my own political advances. However, if you look at the record, there is what we call a community trend. And unfortunately, it just so happened that the political hostility that was encountered by my team — and I was on two different teams during this deployment — they just so happened to have the Trump campaign signage,' Washington said previously.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
FEMA cleared of punishing pro-Trump hurricane victims
Five months after Republicans accused the Biden administration of deliberately denying disaster aid to Donald Trump supporters in Florida, a federal investigation has cleared former administration officials of wrongdoing, a new document shows. The investigation found 'no evidence' the Federal Emergency Management Agency ordered employees to skip homes displaying support for Trump as they were going door-to-door in October to help victims of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Republicans in Congress and in Florida assailed FEMA after an agency employee directed a small FEMA disaster team to avoid pro-Trump houses in a central Florida community and said she was 'simply following orders.' Trump noted the employee's accusation in a January executive order. It created a council to review FEMA and claimed "there are serious concerns of political bias in FEMA." Florida's attorney general sued then-FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell in November, accusing her of acting 'to deny Trump supporters emergency relief' and engaging 'in a series of discriminatory acts.' Republicans in Congress launched their own investigation into 'potential discrimination against disaster victims.' They cited a comment in a media interview by the FEMA employee that 'points to a possibly systemic bias within FEMA against individuals that support President-elect Donald J. Trump.' But a probe by FEMA's Office of Professional Responsibility 'found no evidence that this was a systemic problem, nor that it was directed by agency or field leadership.' Completed in March, the probe was disclosed in a settlement document the Justice Department filed Monday in Florida ending the federal lawsuit against Criswell. The case was settled with both parties agreeing not to pursue claims against each other and without any punitive damages the state attorney general had sought. The lawsuit was brought by Ashley Moody, a Republican who was Florida's attorney general until Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed her to the U.S. Senate seat that former Sen. Marco Rubio left when he became secretary of State in January. Attorney General James Uthmeier, a Republican, took over the lawsuit. Although Uthmeier settled the case against Criswell, the attorney general is continuing to pursue claims against the former FEMA worker, Marn'i Washington, for punitive damages. Criswell fired Washington shortly after learning she had directed her disaster team to skip houses displaying support for Trump in Lake Placid, Florida, a small community about halfway between Tampa and Miami. The former FEMA administrator strongly condemned Washington's actions and said they were isolated. FEMA acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton, a Trump appointee, said in a separate letter in March that he fired three additional FEMA employees as a result of the agency's 'exhaustive' investigation into Washington's claims. Hamilton said in a letter to Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) that FEMA employees were receiving 'comprehensive additional training' to reinforce that 'political affiliation should never be a consideration in the rendering of assistance.' In February, the federal Office of Special Counsel filed a complaint againstWashington after finding that she 'repeatedly told her subordinate crew members not to visit properties with Trump 2024 campaign signage.' The complaint accuses Washington of violating the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in political activity while on duty. It was filed with the Merit Systems Protection Board, which investigates allegations of partisan political action by federal employees. House Homeland Security Chair Mark Green (R-Tenn.), who launched the congressional investigation into FEMA, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Politico
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Politico
FEMA cleared of punishing pro-Trump hurricane victims
Five months after Republicans accused the Biden administration of deliberately denying disaster aid to Donald Trump supporters in Florida, a federal investigation has cleared former administration officials of wrongdoing, a new document shows. The investigation found 'no evidence' the Federal Emergency Management Agency ordered employees to skip homes displaying support for Trump as they were going door-to-door in October to help victims of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Republicans in Congress and in Florida assailed FEMA after an agency employee directed a small FEMA disaster team to avoid pro-Trump houses in a central Florida community and said she was 'simply following orders.' Trump noted the employee's accusation in a January executive order . It created a council to review FEMA and claimed 'there are serious concerns of political bias in FEMA.' Florida's attorney general sued then-FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell in November, accusing her of acting 'to deny Trump supporters emergency relief' and engaging 'in a series of discriminatory acts.' Republicans in Congress launched their own investigation into 'potential discrimination against disaster victims.' They cited a comment in a media interview by the FEMA employee that 'points to a possibly systemic bias within FEMA against individuals that support President-elect Donald J. Trump.' But a probe by FEMA's Office of Professional Responsibility 'found no evidence that this was a systemic problem, nor that it was directed by agency or field leadership.' Completed in March, the probe was disclosed in a settlement document the Justice Department filed Monday in Florida ending the federal lawsuit against Criswell. The case was settled with both parties agreeing not to pursue claims against each other and without any punitive damages the state attorney general had sought. The lawsuit was brought by Ashley Moody, a Republican who was Florida's attorney general until Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed her to the U.S. Senate seat that former Sen. Marco Rubio left when he became secretary of State in January. Attorney General James Uthmeier, a Republican, took over the lawsuit. Although Uthmeier settled the case against Criswell, the attorney general is continuing to pursue claims against the former FEMA worker, Marn'i Washington, for punitive damages. Criswell fired Washington shortly after learning she had directed her disaster team to skip houses displaying support for Trump in Lake Placid, Florida, a small community about halfway between Tampa and Miami. The former FEMA administrator strongly condemned Washington's actions and said they were isolated. FEMA acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton, a Trump appointee, said in a separate letter in March that he fired three additional FEMA employees as a result of the agency's 'exhaustive' investigation into Washington's claims. Hamilton said in a letter to Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) that FEMA employees were receiving 'comprehensive additional training' to reinforce that 'political affiliation should never be a consideration in the rendering of assistance.' In February, the federal Office of Special Counsel filed a complaint against Washington after finding that she 'repeatedly told her subordinate crew members not to visit properties with Trump 2024 campaign signage.' The complaint accuses Washington of violating the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in political activity while on duty. It was filed with the Merit Systems Protection Board, which investigates allegations of partisan political action by federal employees. House Homeland Security Chair Mark Green (R-Tenn.), who launched the congressional investigation into FEMA, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
