On his way out the door, the now-fired acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency defended its inadequate Biden-era disaster responses while taking some verbal jabs at the Trump administration.
Cameron Hamilton was called to the Department of Homeland Security headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he was dismissed by Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Troy Edgar and Corey Lewandowski, a senior adviser to President Donald Trump, Politico reported, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.
The dismissal came just one day after Hamilton testified before a House Appropriations subcommittee, during which he appeared to contradict recent statements by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem regarding the possible elimination of FEMA and shifting funding for the agency to state-level emergency management, a move that Trump has been openly considering.
“I do not believe it is in the best interests of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” Hamilton said at the hearing on Wednesday.
FEMA’s press office confirmed Hamilton’s dismissal.
“Effective today, David Richardson is now serving as the Senior Official Performing the duties of the FEMA Administrator,” a spokesperson said in an email while referencing the assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office. “Cameron Hamilton is no longer serving in this capacity.”
Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL, contemplated resigning about two months ago as the new Trump administration was taking shape, until FEMA staff urged him to remain, Politico said, quoting an anonymous source.
Shortly after taking office, Trump’s DHS fired four FEMA officials for an “egregious” payment to illegal immigrants.
DHS officials told Fox News that “four employees are being fired today for circumventing leadership and unilaterally making the egregious payment for hotels for migrants in New York City.”
The firings come after Elon Musk wrote on X that “The DOGE team discovered that the agency sent “$59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants.”
“That money is meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high-end hotels for illegals. A clawback demand will be made today to recoup those funds,” Musk posted on X.
The finding came weeks after Trump announced plans to reform FEMA during a visit to North Carolina as many residents there continued their recovery from Hurricane Helene, which struck the state last fall.
“I’ll also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, or maybe getting rid of FEMA,” Trump told reporters Friday morning during his visit. “I think, frankly, FEMA is not good.”
Trump also pledged that his administration would provide assistance to North Carolina to help repair the damage swiftly, assuring the state that he would “do a good job” in the recovery efforts.
“We’re going to fix it, and we’re going to fix it as fast as you can,” Trump said. “It’s a massive amount of damage. FEMA has really let us down. Let the country down. And I don’t know if that’s Biden’s fault or whose fault it is, but we’re going to take over. We’re going to do a good job.”
Trump also expressed a desire to see states take on more responsibility when disasters occur, arguing that local officials are better equipped to respond to and manage relief efforts. He promised to collaborate with three lawmakers from areas impacted by Hurricane Helene, criticizing FEMA for being “not on the ball” in aiding North Carolina’s recovery after the hurricane.
“So we’re going to be doing something on FEMA that I think most people agree [with],” Trump said. “I’d like to see the states take care of disasters, let the state take care of the tornadoes and the hurricanes and all of the other things that happen. And I think you’re going to find it a lot less expensive. You’ll do it for less than half, and you’re going to get a lot quicker response.”
Progressive influencer Deja Foxx just got crushed in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, losing by more than 40 points in a blowout that stunned far-left activists.
Grijalva, a Pima County Supervisor and daughter of the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva, won with 62% of the vote, Trending Politics reported. Foxx, a 25-year-old digital celebrity with nearly 400,000 TikTok followers, came in at just 21%.
The result was a reality check for progressives hoping to replace a political dynasty with a social media star. Foxx had high-profile endorsements from David Hogg and the PAC “Leaders We Deserve.”
She only became eligible for Congress in April. Her campaign leaned heavily on her “lived experience,” highlighting a childhood in Section 8 housing, dependence on food stamps, and early activism for abortion access.
The move comes after years of controversy surrounding Crossfire Hurricane, the FBI’s counterintelligence probe into Trump’s campaign. Critics argue that high-ranking intelligence and administration figures—including James Comey, John Brennan, and James Clapper—weaponized unverified intelligence in an attempt to discredit Trump and sway public opinion.
While legal experts emphasize that former President Barack Obama himself is unlikely to face charges—thanks in part to the Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling granting former presidents broad immunity—some analysts warn that he could still be called before the grand jury to testify under oath.
Obama’s office has dismissed the allegations as “outrageous” and “purely political,” but the investigation has already intensified partisan tensions in Washington. Supporters of Trump see this as long-awaited accountability, while Democrats accuse the DOJ of conducting a political witch hunt.
With subpoenas reportedly already being prepared, the grand jury probe has the potential to drag some of the most powerful figures of the Obama era into the spotlight. The question now: will this probe finally expose wrongdoing at the highest levels of government—or is it another politically charged showdown designed to reshape the 2024 narrative?
The US Justice Department on Tuesday launched a grand jury investigation into claims that Obama-era officials falsified intelligence on Russian election interference, following allegations by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Democrats have dismissed the probe as politically motivated.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed federal prosecutors to launch a grand jury investigation into allegations that members of Democratic former president Barack Obama’s administration manufactured intelligence on Russia’s interference in the 2016 elections, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday