Simply firing supervisor Marn’i Washington isn’t going to absolve FEMA of its sins this time.

Mostly because Washington herself is angry that she’s being “scapegoated.” On Saturday, after the explosive story that was broken by The Daily Wire was confirmed – that Washington, who was on the ground after Hurricane Milton in Florida, instructed employees to not engage with homes that displayed Trump signage – FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell spoke out, releasing a formal statement announcing that Washington had been “terminated” for her actions.

More than 22,000 FEMA employees every day adhere to FEMA’s core values and are dedicated to helping people before, during and after disasters, often sacrificing time with their own families to help disaster survivors. Recently, one FEMA employee departed from these values to advise her survivor assistance team to not go to homes with yard signs supporting President-elect Trump. This is a clear violation of FEMA’s core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation. This was reprehensible.

I want to be clear to all of my employees and the American people, this type of behavior and action will not be tolerated at FEMA and we will hold people accountable if they violate these standards of conduct.

We take our mission to help everyone before, during and after disasters seriously. This employee has been terminated and we have referred the matter to the Office of Special Counsel. I will continue to do everything I can to make sure this never happens again.

One has to cynically wonder that if Donald Trump had not been re-elected, would Criswell have acted so quickly to fire Washington? After all, the position of FEMA administrator is a Senate-confirmed position, and Criswell has to be thinking a little about her own job, in the face of an incoming Trump administration. Especially since she is going to be called to Capitol Hill to testify about what the hell happened here.
https://twitter.com/GOPoversight/status/1855367381637640670
And Criswell may not be the only Biden Administration official to be on the hot seat. FEMA is supervised by the Department of Homeland Security – and while Alejandro Mayorkas is definitely on HIS way out, that doesn’t mean he’s off the hook. Both chambers of Congress definitely want a moment on camera over this.

OUTRAGEOUS: @FEMA supervisor ordered workers to SKIP homes with Trump signs during Hurricane Milton relief.
As Ranking Member of @SenateApprops Homeland Security Subcommittee, I'm demanding answers from the Biden Admin. pic.twitter.com/HHUUMhBTwT

— Senator Katie Boyd Britt (@SenKatieBritt) November 9, 2024

Perhaps Marn’i Washington should be called to testify as well. Apparently, she has some things to say, and has a bit of an axe to grind.

A report from earlier this week showed that a FEMA supervisor advised her team to “avoid” Florida homes “advertising Trump.” That supervisor, Marn’i Washington, says she is a “patsy” and that FEMA made her a “scapegoat.”

Washington told the Washington Examiner that not only did she and her teams canvas houses with Trump signage, “we’ve registered and provided resources to Trump supporters.”

The language in the leaked screenshot was “shorthand,” according to Washington. She explained the full context: Washington let her supervisors “know specific streets we could not do because of hostile political encounters,” and according to communications obtained by the Washington Examiner, she was encouraged and supported in her decision to avoid certain streets “to keep the team safe.”

Washington noted that the next bullet point on the leaked message spoke about de-escalation, which she said was necessary because “FEMA workers were having their lives threatened.”

Several of these hostile encounters were documented in the media, but Washington is demanding FEMA “turn over incident reports” showing additional hostilities that resulted in her having to avoid certain streets.

So, Washington is claiming that it was always and only about safety for FEMA employees? The Washington Examiner has submitted a FOIA for those incident reports, which would surely be interesting to look at. But notice that she isn’t denying that she said this – only that she did it out of concern over safety.

She said they do not have a police patrol or FEMA security team that follows the crews in Florida. “What we have is ourselves to survive,” Washington said. “And they will tell you, ‘Oh, if you do get in too much of a pickle, call 911.’” That’s why “the first thing [mentioned in the leaked message] is avoidance, and then the next thing is de-escalation.”

Washington noted that a number of property owners marked their houses with purple paint to signify that entering those properties is prohibited, often with additional signs suggesting that trespassers will be shot.

“This is the second time Trump’s been going into office, and FEMA has been up to some shenanigans that don’t necessarily agree with the American political views,” she said, in reference to Hurricane Maria. “Everybody deserves a chance at disaster relief, and they have not figured out a way [to accomplish that] without subjecting their teammates to hostile work environments.”

As a result, she says, orders from the top say to “try to avoid [hostile places] at all costs.”

Washington said that FEMA told her not to speak with the media, and that the government agency would “take care of it.” Instead, she said they “ghosted her” and “used my silence and allegiance to subject me to more scrutiny and to use me as a scapegoat for what’s going on.”

Now, I do fully believe Washington when she says FEMA made her the “scapegoat.” After all, she was the one who put, IN WRITING (I’m still gobsmacked at that one) to “avoid homes advertising Trump.” She may claim that it was “shorthand,” but the end result was houses being skipped over, and FEMA workers noting that it was specifically due to those instructions. So, yes. She got caught with her name on that instruction, so she’s the one who gets fired. That’s how a government agency “takes care of it.” But I also think it would be fascinating to put Marn’i Washington under oath, and ask her if she ever clarified her interpretation of “de-escalation” being equivalent to “skip houses with Trump signs” with FEMA management above her. She may not have. But if she did? Oh boy.

Again, with Mayorkas leaving with the rest of the feckless Biden administration, Deanne Criswell should be a little afraid for her job. However, I have a suggestion for the incoming Trump administration. Either leave Criswell in the position for a couple of years (if she doesn’t blow it while testifying to Congress), or appoint an acting director as a placeholder. But once Ron DeSantis finishes his second term as Florida’s governor (after which point he is term-limited), then he should be appointed FEMA administrator. He would absolutely OWN that job, as he has been singularly competent with disaster management. It would be an excellent fit for his skill set.

In the meantime, get your popcorn. All bets are off with these hearings post-election. Who knows what Mayorkas or Criswell might say – or who they might point a finger at?

Featured image via Bill Koplitz on Wikimedia Commons from the FEMA Photo Library archives, cropped, public domain