FEMA Administrator Brock Long is under investigation by the inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security over his use of government vehicles while traveling to North Carolina from Washington, according to a new report.
The inspector general is scrutinizing whether taxpayers inappropriately paid for his travel back home to Hickory, N.C., on the weekends, Politico reported Thursday.
Long used a staff driver for the six-hour drives and his aides stayed in a hotel at taxpayer expense, an official told the news outlet. The department’s watchdog became interested in his travel after a government vehicle was involved an in accident.
Long and his boss, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen have also clashed over his travel habits. She brought up the issue of his absences from the office due to his long commutes with him in recent months, the report said.
“We’ll continue to fully cooperate with any investigation that goes on and own up to any mistakes and push forward and keep going,” Long said during a FEMA briefing Thursday morning.
“I would never intentionally run a program incorrectly,“ he added. “Doing something unethical is not part of my DNA and it is not part of my track record in my whole entire career. We will work with the OIG.”
After FEMA scaled back on the use of a contingency team in case of a national emergency, Long began driving himself or flying to North Carolina.
The investigation comes as the administration prepares for the impact of Hurricane Florence to hit the East Coast this week.
The Trump administration is also facing renewed backlash regarding its response to Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico last year. After an independent review by George Washington University found nearly 3,000 people died, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello formally raised the death toll late last month.
Earlier this week Trump touted his administration’s response to Hurricane Maria, calling it “incredibly successful.”
