WASHINGTON- Two House Republicans launched an investigation Wednesday that will examine, in part, how a California charity used a $500,000 grant intended to support victims of the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires, a move that broadens Congress’ control over the disaster response.
Reps. Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) sent a letter to the head of the California Volunteers Fund requesting financial records related to a $500,000 grant he received from the disaster relief charity FireAid, which has raised about $100 million for fire victims through its benefit concerts lighthouses in January.
“It is not clear how the California Volunteers Fund distributed this $500,000, or which individuals or entities received funds,” Kiley and Jordan wrote in a letter Wednesday to Dave Smith, the fund’s executive director. “It is also unclear whether the state-based California Volunteers, led by the governor’s office, received funds from FireAid through the California Volunteers Fund.”
Kiley and Jordan added that they want to review all documents and communications related to the California wildfires between the California Volunteers Fund and California Volunteers, an entity supported by the charity and housed within Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.
In their letter, they said FireAid “has come under scrutiny for diverting donations to nonprofit organizations instead of providing direct assistance to fire victims.”
The California Volunteers Fund said in a statement that although it was considered for a grant, it had not accepted any funds from FireAid.
“The inclusion of the California volunteers on the FireAid website was an error on their part and has been corrected,” Cristina Valdivia Aguilar, a spokesperson for the organization, said in an email.
Newsom’s office said any implication linking the governor to any of the FireAid grants was “entirely false.”
“To be clear: we played absolutely no role in FireAid, and any implication to the contrary from these Republican stooges is a stupid conspiracy theory. »
Kiley’s office posted a database on its website that includes both entities in a list of FireAid recipients. FireAid’s public website does not include names.
The congressional investigation into the distribution of disaster relief funds comes after months of pressure from Republican politicians, including President Trump, who questioned FireAid’s methods and priorities. In July, Kiley called for an investigation into the charitable funds, urging the attorney general to open an investigation into the matter.
Politically, the investigation comes as Newsom — whose office was mentioned several times in the letter — becomes a frequent political target of Trump and Republicans amid speculation that he may be considering a possible 2028 presidential bid.
In response to these criticisms, FireAid commissioned two audit reports, including an independent review conducted by the law firm Latham & Watkins that found no evidence of fraud or misappropriation of funds. The reports were sent to local and federal officials as well as the Justice Department.
“The law firm conducted an independent review of the charity and shared conclusive findings affirming that FireAid acted in accordance with its mission, had strong accountability measures in place, and that aid was reaching affected communities,” the FireAid organization said in a statement at the time about the review’s findings.
