Election Fraud Conspiracy Theorist Gregg Phillips Still Drawing Trump Administration Paycheck
Gregg Phillips, removed from a senior FEMA role in June, says he remains employed by the Trump administration and plans to soon return to election-related activism. The White House confirms he is on paid administrative leave.
Gregg Phillips, known for baseless voter fraud claims and a past assertion that he once "teleported" to a Waffle House, says he is still on the Trump administration's payroll despite reportedly being removed in June from his influential post at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
On Sunday, Phillips posted on Truth Social that he had been part of the administration since last year and would soon be leaving to "rejoin the fight." The following day, he was photographed at a Department of Justice building with Ed Martin, the former US pardon attorney who was recently announced to be departing the administration to pursue legal battles tied to the upcoming midterm elections.
Neither Martin nor the Department of Justice responded to requests for comment about Phillips' current role. Phillips himself declined to comment. A FEMA spokesperson pointed to a June statement describing Phillips as being on leave for personal reasons, but did not clarify whether he remains employed by the agency. The White House confirmed Phillips is on administrative leave, meaning he continues to receive full pay and benefits.
A long history tied to election disinformation
Since 2016, Phillips has promoted unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud, including the discredited allegation that millions of non-citizens voted illegally. He has been linked to True the Vote, the group whose data underpinned the widely debunked film "2000 Mules." A 2022 investigation found the organization raised millions from donors while failing to produce evidence of fraud, with much of that money flowing to Phillips-controlled companies.
Phillips was appointed to lead FEMA's Office of Response and Recovery last December despite having no prior emergency-response experience. Sources at FEMA say he has not been seen at the agency's headquarters since June. A representative for True the Vote said Phillips is no longer part of the organization's team, though he previously worked with it as a contractor in past years.
