FEMA Officials Now Face Charges

Acting FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton passed his lie detector test and still has a job. There were other officials at the agency who flunked. Those are unemployed. Homeland Security is serious about plugging the press leaks.

50 FEMA staffers

The Department of Homeland Security has been wiring FEMA staffers and officials up to polygraph machines. In the past few weeks “about 50 staffers” and “roughly a dozen officials” were placed under intense interrogation.

Rooting out the sources of leaked national security information is a high priority for President Donald Trump. Even the disaster relief agency’s acting administrator had to take a turn.

Hamilton got his out of the way early so he could get back to work that much sooner. He’s in charge of FEMA until further notice. A few days after a recent meeting with “top DHS officials,” they strapped his sensors on.

The closed door meeting was a policy discussion on “how to potentially dismantle the agency in the coming months.”

According to “multiple sources familiar with the matter,” who won’t give their names even though they aren’t leaking “classified” information, say “at least one FEMA official has been placed on administrative leave and was escorted out of the agency’s office this week.”

Straight from his polygraph session. Allegedly, there were others who failed and were treated in similar fashion.

Policy raising concerns

As related by DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin in a statement, “we are agnostic about your standing, tenure, political appointment, or status as a career civil servant.” None of that matters. “We will track down leakers and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”

They’re vetting FEMA workers now and could be somewhere else doing the same thing tomorrow. That has federal civil servants nervous about their future. Especially ones registered Democrat.

As CNN snarls, “the investigations at DHS have raised concerns that the lie detector tests may be used on federal workers accused of leaking non-classified information to the media, particularly at FEMA where sources say classified information is handled in very limited circumstances.”

They won’t get any story scoops from anyone if this keeps up.

Ms. McLaughlin also revealed that “some FEMA officials failed the test.” Without saying what was leaked or who leaked it, she issued a warning to others. “We will take appropriate action and, in some cases, refer some for criminal prosecution based on additional evidence found.”

FEMA leakers may be terrified but Trump’s not doing anything new. “Government agencies for decades, have used lie detectors to catch leakers or anyone else they perceived as wrongdoers.“

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