Gregg Phillips, the FEMA response and recovery official who drew backlash for election-denial claims and for saying he was involuntarily teleported to a Waffle House restaurant, has stepped away from his role. FEMA confirmed he is no longer serving in his form
Gregg Phillips, the FEMA official once tapped to lead the agency’s Office of Response and Recovery, is no longer serving in that role.
The decision lands amid weeks of mounting scrutiny over allegations that he promoted baseless conspiracy theories. used violent rhetoric toward political opponents. and claimed—repeatedly—that he was involuntarily teleported. Agency officials confirmed Phillips has gone on leave, though coverage also described him as being “pushed out” of FEMA altogether.
Phillips’ appointment to lead FEMA’s response and recovery office came as a presidential appointment that did not require Senate confirmation. Even before the newer controversies. the public criticism surrounding him had already been widespread: he has been characterized as a far-right activist who has spread unfounded conspiracies. used violent rhetoric about political opponents. and played a key role in the discredited “2000 Mules” project. He has also been described as an enthusiastic election denier.
The latest controversy intensified in March. when CNN reported that Phillips claimed more than once that he had been involuntarily teleported. One incident, reported in that coverage, said he claimed he was sent to a Waffle House restaurant 50 miles away. When questioned about the alleged experiences, he continued to insist on the validity of his claims.
By April. President Donald Trump acknowledged the situation was unusual. saying Phillips’ assertions were “a little strange.” That timing aligned with another report that the White House had contacted the Department of Homeland Security and urged officials to either “remove Phillips or keep him out of public view.”.
In Thursday’s public confirmation from FEMA, the agency said Phillips is no longer serving in his former office and that an acting successor has been appointed to take his place.
The sequence has shifted quickly—from Phillips’ insistence that his accounts were real. to public signals from the White House that his presence was getting uncomfortable. to FEMA’s decision to remove him from the role where his statements could continue to shape how people understood the agency’s operations. In the end. the question that stayed unresolved for months—whether he could remain a credible public-facing leader—was answered with a leave announcement and a new acting appointment.
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