by Mark Silva
The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it is having a look at allegations of cronyism and other misdeeds at its hurricane recovery office in New Orleans. They are concerned about a "potentially hostile work environment.''
Officials have dispatched a team of Washington investigators to the office, they said today at a congressional hearing, under questioning from Rep. Joseph Cao (R.-La.) at a session on Hurricane Katrina recovery.
The new Republican congressman from Louisiana said there have been allegations of sexual harassment, cronyism, nepotism and other ethics violations in the FEMA office, and his office is exploring possible corruption.
He declined to elaborate - which seems in keeping with the lack of elaboration that the freshman congressman who replaced former Rep. William Jefferson - of the cold cash saga - provides about his own story on his congressional Web-site: "I took the oath of office for the 111th Congress on January 6, 2009. For information about my background, priorities, interests, accomplishments, expertise, and experience, please contact my office.''
They may want to check in with Gov. Bobby Jindal of Lousiana while they are there. "Today in Washington, some are promising that government will rescue us from the economic storms raging all around us,'' Jindal said in his response to the president's address to Congress last night.
"Those of us who lived through Hurricane Katrina, we have our doubts.''
Wire services contributed to this report.
Comments
Ah Oh!
Sounds like we might finally be seeing Bush and Cheney cronies who stole Federal Katrina money, wearing orange jumpsuits soon.
IT'S ABOUT FREAKING TIME!
Posted by: Hey Joe | February 25, 2009 3:03 PM
Notice the difference between a Republican governor"s hurricane response last year and the Democratic one (plus the mayor) during Katrina? Yes it was larger but the Dems abandon those people with no serious pre-planning. Blame Bush, yes, but not the local and state Dems. really is MSM BS. Oh, we extended temporary housing assistance for thousands again. It has been 31/2 years! That's temporary. Why change when you live off the government dime.
Posted by: Bubba Porter | February 25, 2009 7:48 PM
We shall see what happend now. Time will tell.
Posted by: Things To Do In New Orleans | February 25, 2009 10:36 PM
Hey Joe--Respectfully, you are exhibiting ignorance of the subject. These are facts from someone formerly on the "inside": Personnel on the level where this is said to have occurred are career FEMA employees (as in not appointed) dating from the Clinton, GHW Bush and Reagan administrations, FAR removed from the GW Bush administration.
Also, they are literary six levels of hierarchy (at least) between the person named in these acquisitions and the administration. If they were "cronies", I imagine they would be much higher up in the FEMA organization and NOT relegated to New Orleans.
I know its difficult to control your blind hatred for everything "W", but you are doing no one a service writing without thinking and you expose yourself for the hate monger that you are.
Have a nice day.
Posted by: Joe Hey | February 26, 2009 2:23 PM