FEMA head is out
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The acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been fired one day after he broke with fellow members of the administration when he told lawmakers he does not support dismantling the agency, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed to CNN.
Cameron Hamilton, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, was escorted out of FEMA’s headquarters on Thursday, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation.
“It’s at the discretion of (Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem) to have the personnel she prefers,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told CNN, confirming that DHS official David Richardson will take over for Hamilton effective immediately. McLaughlin declined to explain why Hamilton was removed from the post.
The move comes one day after Hamilton defended FEMA during testimony in front of the House Appropriations Committee.
“As the senior advisor to the President on disasters and emergency management, and to the Secretary of Homeland Security, I do not believe it is in the best interest the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” Hamilton told the committee Wednesday. “Having said that, I am not in a position to make decisions and impact outcomes on whether or not a determination as consequential as that should be made. That is a conversation that should be had between the President of the United States and this governing body.”
Nice touch:
CNN previously reported that Hamilton was given a lie detector test just days after taking part in a meeting with top DHS officials for a policy discussion on the future of FEMA and how to potentially dismantle the agency. That closed-door meeting was reported by CNN and other media outlets. At least a dozen other FEMA officials have also been polygraphed by DHS in recent weeks, primarily for alleged media leaks..
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Kristi has become something of a problem unless you don’t count pissing off nearly everyone in the country as a problem.
Go Kristi!
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David Richardson, the new head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told staff on Friday he will "run right over" anyone that resists changes and that all delegation of authority in the agency is immediately suspended.
Richardson spoke one day after he was appointed to replace acting FEMA chief Cameron Hamilton, who was ousted by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after telling a congressional hearing he did not support eliminating the agency.
Richardson, a former Marine artillery officer and combat veteran, told staff in an all-hands call that was heavy on references to his military experience, that all decisions, including those on spending, would go through him.
"I, and I alone in FEMA, speak for FEMA. I'm here to carry out the president's intent for FEMA," Richardson, who was most recently assistant secretary for DHS' office for countering weapons of mass destruction, told the staff.
Standing behind a lectern and speaking in a forceful tone, Richardson said in his experience carrying out reforms that roughly 20% of an organization will resist.
"Obfuscation, delay, undermining. If you're one of those 20% of people and you think those tactics and techniques are going to help you, they will not, because I will run right over you," Richardson said. "Don't get in my way ... I know all the tricks."
https://archive.is/0D6wu#selection-1267.0-1279.253
I wonder if he thinks he can court-martial people...
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This is the perfect opportunity for a little malicious obedience. Start with burying that guy in paperwork.
