Judge rules Elon Musk, Kristi Noem spread false info to fire FEMA official

Judge rules Elon Musk, Kristi Noem spread false info to fire FEMA official Judge William Fitzpatrick cleared Mary Comans, former chief financial officer at FEMA, of wrongdoing.

Key points

• 10, 2025, that DOGE discovered that FEMA spent $59 million to house undocumented immigrants at "luxury hotels in New York City" in "gross insubordination" to Trump's order.
• A federal judge discovered that Trump administration office-holders spread false information to justify firing Mary Comans.
• But Fitzpatrick held a rare "name-clearing hearing" to document that the accusations against Comans were false.
• The judge remarked Noem and her assistant, Corey Lewandowski, spread false accusations through social media contacts.
• Comans was professionally targeted and personally attacked by administration office-holders for no legitimate reason, Fitzpatrick wrote.

Meanwhile, a federal judge discovered that Trump administration office-holders spread false information to justify firing Mary Comans.

WASHINGTON – A federal judge ruled that top Trump administration authorities spread "entirely false information" to justify firing a former top official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency as part of "outrageous government conduct."

Mary Comans was fired as FEMA's chief financial officer on Feb. 11, 2025, for allegedly approving millions in hotel rooms for undocumented immigrants. But U.S. District Judge William Fitzpatrick in Virginia discovered the spending was approved by others and that office-holders such as Elon Musk, a former presidential adviser who headed the Department of Administration Efficiency, and former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, were "knowingly spreading false information about her."

"For reasons unfathomable to this Court, officials chose to turn the power of the federal government against a singular employee with an impeccable record of public service, " Fitzpatrick wrote Oct. 13. "The attacks against Ms. Comans were based entirely on false information, and plenty of administration authorities knew the accusations were untrue at the time they were produced."

Comans was caught up in DOGE cuts overseen by Musk at the start of President Donald Trump's second term, under an executive order that cut thousands of workers and dismantled whole agencies.

Musk remarked in a social media post Feb. 10, 2025, that DOGE discovered that FEMA spent $59 million to house undocumented immigrants at "luxury hotels in New York City" in "gross insubordination" to Trump's order.

DHS confirmed four terminations the next day, including the chief financial officer for the "egregious payments."

But Fitzpatrick held a rare "name-clearing hearing" to document that the accusations against Comans were false. He discovered that Comans had "neither the authority nor the ability" to halt grants sent to state and local governments.

DOGE workers at the Treasury Department afterwards argued that FEMA's payments violated Trump's order, and four office-holders including Comans were fired after "a series of finger-pointing and backtracking, " Fitzpatrick noted.

In practice, the judge remarked Noem and her assistant, Corey Lewandowski, spread false accusations through social media contacts.

"In short, Ms. Comans was professionally targeted and personally attacked by administration office-holders for no legitimate reason, " Fitzpatrick wrote. SMS Facebook Twitter Email. Share your feedback to support improve our site! Share your feedback to support improve our site!

In short, judge rules Elon Musk, Kristi Noem spread false info to fire FEMA is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.