Ashley Moody sues FEMA leadership for discriminating against homeowners with Donald Trump signs

The Attorney General has bestowed more than 50 Back the Blue awards over the past four years.

Attorney General Ashley Moody is suing the Federal Emergency Management Agency over alleged discrimination against Donald Trump supporters.

The lawsuit comes amid a political firestorm over guidance from a Lake Placid-based FEMA supervisor that on-the-ground workers should not approach owners at homes with Trump signs. FEMA leaders have since fired the supervisor, Marn’I Washington, but she has told media outlets her direction was consistent with agency policy.

Moody filed a federal lawsuit against Washington and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, an appointee of President Joe Biden.

“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,” the lawsuit by Moody reads.

The Daily Wire first reported that FEMA workers bypassed homes with Trump signs in their yards when scouting damage from Hurricane Milton.

That has already drawn intense criticism from Republicans in the U.S. House. U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, Republican co-Chair of Florida’s congressional delegation, sent a letter to Criswell demanding answers.

“Recent reports have revealed that a FEMA supervisor in Florida directed relief workers to bypass homes displaying support for President-elect Donald Trump, thereby denying assistance to residents in critical need,” Buchanan said.

“Sources from inside FEMA have reported that at least twenty homes with Trump signs or flags were skipped from the end of October through November due to this guidance, leaving homeowners without the opportunity to qualify for FEMA assistance.”

Criswell confirmed the guidance existed and that the agency held accountable the manager responsible for instructions to pass over homes.

“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,” Criswell posted on social media. “Recently, a 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 (that) 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.”

At a congressional hearing on Tuesday, Criswell encouraged the Inspector General’s office to review if the incident was isolated or widespread within the agency, according to NewsNation.

But Washington told the Washington Examiner that she was made a “patsy” and “scapegoat” after the policy became publicized. She claimed the agency provided storm relief to many Trump supporters but said several employees also received death threats when interacting with members of the public.

“The running trend of those encounters just so happened to [be at houses that] have Trump campaign signage,” Washington told the newspaper. “The notation that was leaked had nothing to do with their political stance. It was with the objective of safety.”

Moody’s lawsuit said denying relief to citizens based on political signs in their yards effectively served as a government conspiracy to interfere with Floridians’ civil rights.

“We can’t have federal agencies withholding aid from Floridians who really need help after disasters because of who they supported for President,” Moody posted on X.