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FEMA stages fake press conference

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s deputy administrator, Harvey Johnson, had an unusually friendly audience at an Oct. 23 press briefing on his agency’s response to the California wildfires: his own spokesmen.

FEMA drafted at least four of its employees to play the part of reporters at a hastily called press conference when no members of the press showed up, spokesman Aaron Walker said. No reporters showed because FEMA announced the press conference only 15 minutes before it began. All reporters could do was call in on a telephone line that did not allow them to ask questions.

As a result, Johnson took questions like, “Are you happy with FEMA’s response so far?” from agency spokesmen Mike Widomski, Cindy Taylor, Pat Philbin and Ali Kirin.

Walker distanced himself from the decisions made, saying he had returned from dropping California-bound FEMA Director David Paulison off at the airport less than half an hour before the briefing began. He did not know why the press conference wasn’t pushed back when it was obvious no reporters would show, or who made the decision to pose FEMA officials as reporters.

The questions asked by FEMA officials were compiled from questions reporters had been asking the public affairs office earlier in the day, Walker said.

Walker expressed regret for the deception, which was first reported by the Washington Post, at least five times during a five-minute interview with Federal Times on Oct. 26.

“Do we need to apologize? Absolutely,” Walker said. “This is clearly something we’re not happy about. We won’t allow it again.”