Florida sues FEMA for discriminating against Trump supporters with Helene and Milton aid

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody sued the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for discriminating against supporters of Donald Trump in the distribution of assistance for Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

After the case was reported by the press, the agency admitted that one of its supervisors had given instructions not to help houses that had Republican signage. Although it announced an investigation, it maintained it was an isolated case. The agency pointed to Marni Washington, who it assured was "not actively working" while the investigation continued.

This explanation was insufficient for Moody. In her lawsuit Thursday, she is targeting both the local supervisor and Deanne Criswell, FEMA's top official. Washington, she claims in the lawsuit, "conspired with senior FEMA officials to violate the civil rights of Florida citizens."

The attorney general referenced Washington's own statements on the digital program "Roland Martin Unfiltered." In addition to accusing her former bosses of using her as a "scapegoat," the former supervisor claims that federal agents behaved similarly in "North Carolina and throughout other areas affected."

In that recording, Washington defends herself by claiming that the indication to avoid homes with posters of the Republican candidate was due to the fact that they were the ones that had shown more "political hostility" towards her team. She also assured that "this is not isolated, this is a colossal event of avoidance not just in the State of Florida, but you will find avoidance in the Carolinas. ... Senior leadership will lie to you and tell you that they don't know," she added, but it was enough to look at the records and ask field workers to disprove them.

The full claim

"Hurricane season is not over," Moody warned in a statement. "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."

Other investigations.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis backed the lawsuit and called FEMA's behavior "unacceptable," "especially egregious in the aftermath of a hurricane." After learning what happened, DeSantis had directed the Division of Emergency Management to undertake its own investigation.

The House Oversight Committee also announced an investigation of its own. Its chairman, James Comer, announced that Administrator Criswell will testify before Congress on Tuesday, Nov. 19.