The Trump administration had a credible official leading the Federal Emergency Management Agency. His name was Cameron Hamilton, and he had experience as a Navy SEAL, a former combat medic and as the former director of the Emergency Medical Services Division at the Department of Homeland Security.
He was nevertheless fired last month, not because he did something wrong but because Hamilton — a lifelong conservative Republican — testified before Congress and told lawmakers that it would be in the public’s interest if FEMA continued to exist. Donald Trump, of course, wants to eliminate FEMA altogether, and so Hamilton, one day after his testimony, found himself out of a job.
He was soon replaced by David Richardson, who has no background in emergency management, and who, on his first day as the agency’s acting chief, told FEMA’s staff that he would “run right over” anyone who gets in his way.
If, in the wake of deadly flooding in Texas, you’re thinking that Richardson has kept a surprisingly low profile, it’s not your imagination. Politico’s E&E News reported:
As the Federal Emergency Management Agency responds to the deadly flooding in Texas, one key resource is missing: the FEMA leader. David Richardson, the agency’s acting administrator, has not been to the site of one of the nation’s deadliest floods in the U.S. in the past 25 years, upending a long practice of FEMA leaders making themselves visible after major disasters.
At first blush, the fact that the current FEMA chief hasn’t even been on site in Texas seems bizarre, but making matters worse is that Richardson hasn’t maintained any kind of public profile at all of late — no public appearances, no official statements, not even messages released by way of social media.
A current FEMA employee told Politico’s E&E News, “When Hamilton was in the role, he was out there doing something to encourage us or announce something or do a photo op with survivors or regional [FEMA] leadership. I have no idea what’s going on with David Richardson’s absence.”
This has not gone unnoticed on Capitol Hill. Sen. Andy Kim spoke with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, and asked about Richardson, the New Jersey Democrat said, “Where is he right now? Has anyone actually seen him since this disaster in Texas? I mean, we have a completely absent FEMA acting administrator.” We don’t know where the current FEMA chief is or whether he’s even doing the job. When assessing the Trump administration’s handling of the heartbreaking flooding in Texas, this seems like a rather important detail. This post updates our related earlier coverage.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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