Ouster of La. FEMA chief sought

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) participates in the re-enactment of her swearing-in with Vice President Dick Cheney in the Old Senate Chambers on Capitol Hill in Washington on January 6, 2008. (UPI Photo/Kevin Dietsch)

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Published: Feb. 27, 2009 at 9:57 AM

NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., has demanded the resignation of an emergency official over unsettling conditions and hurricane relief, officials say.

Landrieu wants the ouster of Doug Whitmer, chief of staff of the federal Louisiana Transitional Recovery Office in New Orleans after a CBS investigation into alleged cronyism, sexual harassment and racial discrimination in their office that's slowing progress on storm recovery.

CBS News reported that nearly $4 billion intended to rebuild the Gulf Coast remains unspent, 68 percent of the $6 billion promised by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Left undone was work on a reported hundreds of projects, including Charity Hospital and a police station. CBS said.

Topics: U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu

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Ouster of La. FEMA chief sought