FEMA press secretary, found responsible for fake press conference, will resign John Byrne

Published: Friday November 9, 2007



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Print This Email This Federal Emergency Management Agency Press Secretary Aaron Walker will resign effective Dec. 7 after being found responsible for having FEMA staff pose as reporters at a news conference surrounding the California wildfires. The internal investigation, completed Monday, found that Walker asked aides to post as reporters, coached them clandestinely during the briefing and ended the questioning after a scripted question was asked. The inquiry "could not corroborate accounts that the agency's No. 2 official, Harvey E. Johnson Jr., was told before he led the Oct. 23 briefing that FEMA staff members would pose questions," according to the Washington Post, which reported the results of the investigation Friday. It did not explain the event's rushed timing either. With reporters who called in on phone lines barred from asking questions, and the news conference scheduled just 15 minutes after it was announced, questions remain as to whether officials were being candid when they alleged that the event was staged because they had a hard time rounding up reporters. FEMA's number two official, Johnson, was then broadcast live on cable news channels, the Post said. Despite not answering questions of why the event was scheduled so hastily, the review "found nothing that indicated malicious or preconceived intent to deceive the media or the public," according to Russ Knocke, FEMA's acting director of external affairs, the lead investigator, who spoke to the Post Wednesday. "As an aside, the content of the press event was accurate. It is obvious that there was a significant lack of leadership within FEMA external affairs." John "Pat" Philbin, the Director of Public Affairs also responsible for FEMA's faked news conference, was set to accept a for the top PR job in the Department of National Intelligence soon after the event but lost the plum post after the scandal. "We do not normally comment on personnel matters," DNI spokesman Ross Feinstein told the Associated Press at the time. "However, we can confirm that Mr. Philbin is not, nor is he scheduled to be, the director of public affairs for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence." A press release described Philbin's new job as director of public affairs in the DNI's office as an "amazing opportunity to head the communications shop." The release was sent to reporters before Philbin was kicked to the curb. More on the story can be read at the Post here. With earlier reporting by Nick Juliano.



