FEMA administrator’s use of government vehicles prompts inspector general investigation

As the East Coast prepares for the potentially catastrophic Hurricane Florence, a new report Thursday reveals that the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is under scrutiny for allegedly misusing government resources for his personal travel.

Politico reports that the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general is investigating whether FEMA Administrator Brock Long unethically made use of official government cars and personnel during his weekend commutes home from Washington, D.C., to North Carolina. In addition to having a driver take him home, he reportedly brought aides with him and had them stay in hotels using taxpayer money. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen asked Long to resign last month due to concerns over his travel habits, but he opted not to do so, some sources told Politico. Others said she did not ask him to step down. Either way, he remains in the post.

Long confirmed the inspector general probe Thursday, telling CNN that he will cooperate and that "if we made a [mistake] on how a program is run, we'll work with [the inspector general] to get those corrected."

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A number of Trump administration officials have gotten into hot water for their travel habits, most notably former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, who resigned last September after it was reported that he had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money on private planes.