House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) disclosed on Monday that FEMA employees have alleged a “pattern” of discrimination against conservatives, contradicting claims made by FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.

In an interview with Daily Wire editor emeritus Ben Shapiro, Comer said FEMA staff confirmed aspects of former supervisor Marn’i Washington’s allegations that workers in Florida were instructed to “avoid homes advertising Trump.”

According to Comer, this directive was reportedly aligned with agency policy. The House Oversight Committee launched an investigation after whistleblowers informed The Daily Wire that at least 20 homes in Lake Placid displaying Trump signs or flags were skipped during Hurricane Milton relief efforts, the outlet reported.

“We fear that this isn’t an isolated incident. We believe this is a pattern,” Comer said in an interview released on “The Ben Shapiro Show” on Monday. “We’ve spoken with other employees who haven’t yet come forward, but have provided some information that this is the way FEMA operates, that they do discriminate against Republicans, against conservatives, against people in more prominent neighborhoods.”

Comer’s remarks come just a day before FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell is set to testify before the Oversight Committee. Before her appearance on Tuesday, Criswell will first address the House Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.

Criswell has maintained that Washington’s guidance was an “isolated” incident and was not sanctioned by the agency.

“The employee who issued this guidance had no authority and was given no direction to tell teams to avoid these homes and we are reaching out to the people who may have not been reached as a result of this incident,” she said, announcing that Washington had been fired. 

WATCH:

EXCLUSIVE: @RepJamesComer previews @GOPoversight hearing with FEMA administrator following @realDailyWire reporting on FEMA's discrimination against Trump supporters.

Comer reveals: "We believe this a pattern. We've spoken with other employees… This is the way FEMA operates." pic.twitter.com/2uPiOPmHom

— The Ben Shapiro Show (@BenShapiroShow) November 18, 2024

But Republicans aren’t buying that after the new discoveries. Comer stated that the committee intends to interview Washington, who has alleged that FEMA enforces a widespread policy of avoiding homes deemed “politically hostile.”

“FEMA always preaches avoidance first and then de-escalation, so this is not isolated,” she told Roland Martin last week. “This is a colossal event of avoidance not just in the state of Florida, but you will find avoidance in the Carolinas.”

Comer told Shapiro that the guidance was endemic to the broader takeover of federal agencies by leftist activists. 

“I think every government agency, whether it’s FEMA, whether it’s the EPA, whether it’s the FBI, whether it’s the Securities and Exchange Commission,” Comer said. “I think every agency in the federal government is populated with left-wing activists that have risen to the top.”