Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody filed a Thursday morning complaint against the Federal Emergency Management Agency for its alleged anti-Trump biases which may have deprived some Floridians of hurricane aid.
Moody, joined by Gov. Ron DeSantis, blasted FEMA for its alleged "conspiracy to discriminate" against Florida hurricane victims who support President-elect Donald Trump, the Thursday press release reads. Filed in the U.S. Southern District Court, her complaint refers to a Daily Wire report that FEMA supervisor Marn'i Washington told disaster relief workers in Lake Placid to avoid homes displaying Trump merch.
“Hurricane season is not over, and the federal agency in charge of emergency response is embroiled in scandal – caught withholding aid from storm victims in Florida who support President Trump," Moody said, referring to a brewing tropical storm that may impact Florida's Gulf Coast next week. "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.”
The complaint targets Washington, who has since been fired, and FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell, and asks that the Court award "punitive and nominal damages" against the defendants.
After Hurricane Milton, a text chain involving Washington was leaked to the Daily Wire where she told FEMA workers to "avoid homes advertising Trump." She was then fired, but has since claimed that she was scapegoated for a "not isolated" practice that she claims also happened in the Carolinas after Helene.
Despite this, Moody and DeSantis argue that the "terrible facts of the civil rights violations" constitute an interference with Floridians' right to support the candidate of their choosing; this violates the deprivation clause and the support or advocacy clause in federal law.
“It’s unacceptable for the federal government to discriminate against Floridians who voted for Trump, and especially egregious in the aftermath of a hurricane," DeSantis said. "I’m supportive of this legal action by the Attorney General’s Office, and I have instructed state agencies to likewise take any action necessary to investigate and ensure those who engaged in this behavior are held accountable."
This is not the first time FEMA has made headlines for alleged malpractice; during and after Hurricane Helene, misinformation accounts alleged disaster workers were ordering people to evacuate at gunpoint in an attempt to keep people out of their homes. Others claimed contractors were being paid to stop Floridians from going home after the storm, or that marine snipers were shooting FEMA agents in North Carolina.
