The acting caput of FEMA was precocious fixed a prevarication detector trial to find if helium leaked accusation to the property astir the Trump regime’s plans to destruct the national catastrophe agency, according to a caller study from Politico. And portion that whitethorn look similar a truly bizarre happening to bash to a elder authoritative who’s expected to beryllium conducting important authorities work, it’s conscionable different footnote successful America’s accelerated descent into fascism.
FEMA acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton was fixed the prevarication detector trial aft helium had a gathering connected March 25 with Kristi Noem, the erstwhile politician of South Dakota and existent Secretary of Homeland Security. Also successful the meeting, according to Politico, was Corey Lewandowski, an advisor to President Donald Trump who’s reportedly moving arsenic a “special authorities employee,” not dissimilar Elon Musk. The disclosure of the meeting, reported by CNN connected March 26, was seemingly considered a betrayal.
The Department of Homeland Security appeared to corroborate that the prevarication detector trial took spot successful a connection to Politico, informing that “leakers” would beryllium prosecuted. But the effect of the prevarication detector trial wasn’t precisely clear.
“Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, DHS is unapologetic astir its efforts to basal retired leakers that undermine nationalist security. We are agnostic astir your standing, tenure, governmental assignment oregon presumption arsenic a vocation civilian servant—we volition way down leakers and prosecute them to the fullest grade of the law,” a DHS spokesperson told Politico.
President Trump has not nominated a imperishable FEMA administrator, and Hamilton is simply a erstwhile Navy SEAL who has worked successful the national authorities for the past decade, including astatine the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department. As the New York Times pointed retired erstwhile Hamilton was appointed to the relation soon aft Trump’s inauguration connected Jan. 20, Hamilton was considered an unusual prime for the caput of FEMA fixed his deficiency of acquisition successful catastrophe response.
The quality astir DHS prevarication detector tests comes arsenic FEMA is successful blistery h2o implicit withholding fiscal assistance to “blue” states, oregon those that voted for Democrats successful the 2024 election. A national justice ordered a halt to national backing freezes by FEMA that were holding backmost wealth to astatine slightest 19 states. And connected Friday, that justice ruled that the bid had been violated. What happens aft that? It appears the justice hasn’t recovered the Trump authorities lawyers successful contempt yet, truthful thing happens. At this point, the justice has conscionable issued different order, telling them to obey the erstwhile order.
And that seems to talk to the asymmetry close present happening with the regularisation of instrumentality connected 1 broadside and the Trump authorities connected the other. These folks are sending U.S. residents to El Salvador without proceedings and making apical officials instrumentality prevarication detector tests. Then you person judges doing small much than saying “Pretty delight obey our orders.” It’s not great.