Your federal government at work.
Gregg Phillips, President Donald Trump’s top disaster response appointee, has drawn national headlines over claims he has teleported–not once, but twice–including an experience that apparently brought him to a Waffle House in Georgia.
But this isn’t the first time Phillips, who has defended his remarks as part of his religious beliefs, has been in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.
The far-right conservative now oversees response and recovery for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). However, his ties to Texas conservatism include a stint in state health leadership, controversial contracting work and a role with Houston-based True the Vote, a group that helped elevate him to national prominence while promoting widely-disputed claims of voter fraud.
A series of podcast stints over the past year revealed his teleportation escapade, according to reporting by CNN.
During an episode of the podcast “Onward”, co-hosted by Austin resident Catherine Engelbrecht, Phillips reportedly claimed, “we had a teleport incident–two of them–and I ended up at a Waffle House like 50 miles away,” he said.
“It was an incredibly frightening moment, to experience yourself, in your car, flying through the air–I will tell you, teleporting is no fun,” he stated.
In a recent Truth Social post, he claimed the teleportation aspect has been “taken out of context,” and that he was undergoing “intensive treatment” for a cancer diagnosis and was “heavily medicated” when the podcast was filmed.
However, he does not deny teleporting altogether, “The more accurate biblical terms are ‘translated’ or ‘transported’ — not new ideas for people of faith,” he wrote.
“If you believe that God moves in ways we cannot fully explain, as I do, then having faith is not a soundbite. It is the whole point,” said Phillips.
Phillips was appointed by Trump to take on the senior FEMA position in December, overseeing billions of dollars in disaster assistance funding, search-and-rescue operations, and coordination with local, state and federal resources for emergency aid.
Here’s the CNN story about teleportation referenced in the article. The New York Times did the yeoman’s work of attempting to fact-check the claim; to no one’s surprise, no one at the Waffle House in question remembered seeing Phillips. A better illustration of who this guy is comes in this slightly earlier CNN story, which also notes the teleportation thing. I mean, why would anyone mess with TSA security lines if you can travel this way? There’s a business opportunity going to waste here.
Those of you who have read this blog for awhile will of course recognize the names Gregg Phillips and Catherine Engelbrecht. Phillips has been a rancid character in our state’s politics going back over 20 years now, and Engelbrecht is a great example of how grifters flock together. I know you don’t need more reasons to be motivated to win this November and again in two years, but do remember that when Democrats have power, malignant tumors like these two don’t get to live off of your tax dollars. You should also read this Slate story about where the bizarre and sinister beliefs that animate the likes of Gregg Phillips come from. It’s very weird, but it’s not as niche as you might think. And unfortunately, in many ways it’s no laughing matter.
Oh my God, I didn’t realize it was the same Gregg Phillips. The gravy train sure is a long one!
If I could teleport, it would be Hawaii or Paris or Rome or Istanbul I’d be aiming for.