Some FEMA employees did skip over homes that had pro-Trump campaign signs last year after being instructed to do so by a supervisor, according to the results of a federal investigation made public Tuesday.

The findings substantiate reports that surfaced last October and add to the troubles at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The Office of Special Counsel said at least five FEMA employees, following orders of a supervisor, avoided visiting homes that had Trump signs in Florida after Hurricane Milton last year. That amounted to illegal politicization, the investigation concluded.

The OSC recommended punishment against Marni’i Washington, the FEMA supervisor who ran Crew 33 and gave the orders, for violating the Hatch Act, which governs politicking on government time.

“By directing political activity at her subordinates, Washington used her official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election,” the OSC said.

The case drew headlines last year, adding to woes at FEMA, which was already reeling from accusations that it was paying for accommodations for illegal immigrants even as it struggled to deliver assistance to U.S. citizens.

Ms. Washington, in public comments, had insisted she was acting under FEMA policy. She said the agency instructs its employees to avoid homes where they feel they might be unsafe, and she suggested Trump homes had a propensity for animosity.

But the OSC said it found no reports of safety concerns at Trump homes in the area Ms. Washington and Crew 33 were visiting.

When a FEMA manager asked Ms. Washington about her orders, she misled the agency, according to the OSC.

She told them she had told her team to avoid homes that had “shoot on sight” or “no trespassing” signs.

“My team has registered Trump supporters however, we’ve avoided the Trump supporters that have signage stating they’ll shoot us onsite [sic],” she told her superiors in an email.

She did not tell them about her specific instructions to “avoid” Trump homes. But OSC investigators found those instructions were part of a Microsoft Teams chat message Ms. Washington sent to her team.

FEMA “demobilized” Ms. Washington on Nov. 7 and fired her on Nov. 9.

• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.