President-elect Donald Trump is considering appointing Florida Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
CNN reports this on the unconventional choice Monday, though Moskowitz tried to quell speculation Tuesday.
‘All rumors and conjecture. I have no plans to leave Congress,” he told reporters on Capitol Hill.
He later wrote of X, “I appreciate the speculation, but I will remain in Congress and run for re-election. It is an honor to serve the people of Florida’s 23rd District.”
Although Trump has chosen several former Democrats for top positions, Moskowitz’s choice would be the Republicans’ first of an individual who remains a member of the opposing political party.
He has been locked in bitter battles with Republican James Comer, who called him a “liar and smurf” during a heated hearing into the Biden family’s business dealings.
Meanwhile, Moskowitz accused the chairman of “manipulating” the American people into believing that Biden had done something wrong with his family’s money.
But despite his problems with Comer, he does have a track record of working with Republicans.
Moskowitz was appointed by Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to lead the state’s Emergency Management Department beginning in January 2019.
He was a Democrat in the Florida House of Representatives at the time.
Moskowitz was nicknamed the “master of disaster” for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and Florida’s hurricane response during his time leading the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
President-elect Donald Trump (left) considers choosing a Democratic representative. Jared Moskowitz (right) of Florida will head the Federal Emergency Management Agency
He was credited with an effective rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine and DeSantis defended after 60 minutes claimed Florida’s governor was involved in a pay-to-play scheme with the Publix supermarket chain over vaccine distribution.
Moskowitz successfully ran for Congress in 2022 and won re-election to a second term last month.
Trump has moved to Florida from New York and has selected a number of Florida officials for Cabinet positions, including Senator Marco Rubio as secretary of state.
Initially, he now chose former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general. When Gaetz resigned, he was replaced by former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Trump’s new national security adviser, Mike Waltz, is a current Florida congressman.
And Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is former Florida Rep. Dave Weldon.
The president-elect has named former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard – who now identifies as a Republican – appointed director of National Intelligence.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who ran for the White House this cycle first as a Democrat and then as an independent, is now Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
But Moskowitz has occasionally been openly critical of Trump.
The Democratic Rep. Moskowitz accused the chairman of ‘manipulating’ the American people into believing Joe did something wrong when he was doing the exact same thing
“Appointing Tulsi Gabbard to lead our intelligence community is incredibly reckless. Placing someone with known sympathies for foreign adversaries does not put American interests first; it endangers our security,” the Florida Democrat said in an X post last month.
In April, Moskowitz hit back at Trumpwho had suggested that American Jews who vote for Democrats should “have their heads examined.”
Trump made that point after the Democratic Party’s left flank showed more pro-Palestinian positions during the Gaza war.
The Democratic congressman pointed to Trump’s infamous Mar-a-Lago dinner in November 2022 with Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and anti-Semitic rapper Kanye West.
‘Having my head examined. All is well,” Moskowitz wrote to X. “I appreciate the President’s concern. When is Trump going to have dinner with Kayne and Nick Fuentes again?’ he snorted.