Did politics play a role in Katrina response?

By R. Neal / October 18, 2005

Posted by R. Neal

Here's an interesting quote from an e-mail by former FEMA directory Michael "Heck of a Job" Brown that surfaced during a House investigation into the response:

"This one really has me worried," Brown confided in an Aug. 27 e-mail, as the storm bore down on the Gulf Coast. "I wish a certain governor was from Louisiana ... and his emergency manager," Brown e-mailed Craig Fugate, emergency manager in Florida, where Jeb Bush is governor.

This Washington Post article reveals some of the internal politics going on within FEMA and Homeland Security:

"Demote the Under Sec to PFO [Principal Federal Officer]?" an outraged FEMA press secretary Sharon Worthy wrote Brown at 10:54 p.m., soon after Chertoff's decision. "What about the precedent being set? What does this say about executive management and leadership in the Agency?"

"Exactly," replied Brown, then-under secretary for preparedness and response, according to e-mails obtained by the Washington Post:

The Post article also notes gaps in the response to the House's requests for documents from Homeland Security and correspondence with the White House. Sounds like they are setting up a few more "bad apples" to take the fall.

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