Diversity, equity, and inclusion can strengthen organizations when properly implemented. Diverse teams prevent groupthink and spark innovation. But when misused to justify unqualified appointments, DEI undermines the cause it claims to support. This is the case with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Puerto Rico.

The Washington Examiner previously published “FEMA’s DEI Problem,” which first exposed FEMA’s obsession with identity politics derailing recovery. A second story, “FEMA’s DEI Misadventure,” documented sabotage and reverse discrimination against our team of seven straight, older, white military veterans and corporate executives. Here, we reveal how FEMA’s machinery of legal offices, contracting officials, and Equal Employment Opportunity staff colluded to obstruct accountability. Their playbook? Deny, deflect, and depose.