/Officials stole taxpayer money from the poor Mississippians deserve answers

Officials stole taxpayer money from the poor Mississippians deserve answers

Text messages indicate that Gov. Bryant, who was the only person statutory responsible for overseeing the spending and policy of the state’s welfare agencies during his eight-year tenure, was at best asleep at his wheel as millions of taxpayer funds meant for poor Mississippians floated to the pockets of many in his circle. In our three-hour interview, Bryant admitted that much on April 2. Bryant said, “Look, I’ll accept my responsibility.” “Yeah. I was the governor. “I wish I could have caught it.” A Mississippi Today investigation revealed that Bryant was poised to take stock in a company that had received welfare funds in return for the assistance he provided to the company during his tenure as governor. Bryant claims he didn’t carefully read or think about the messages he received. “I can see now why you are following these trails. Bryant stated that it didn’t look good. “Should it have been caught? Absolutely. It should have been caught. Did I have a lot of work as governor? “I can’t even tell you what it was like as governor.” Does the excuse of being too busy or inattentive enough to excuse the governor or to allow him to avoid an investigation more thorough? His administration would not have been so lenient with welfare recipients who are accused of cheating the system. Another revelation revealed by “The Backchannel” was Bryant’s cooperation with welfare officials in order to obtain help for his troubled great nephew — while also setting welfare policy that made it almost impossible for Mississippians of poor to receive the same assistance. Bryant shared his struggle to help his great-nephew with Mississippi Today. I didn’t know that he was free. Although I can’t recall the timeline, there was no benefit for us to help this child, other than trying to save his lives. If that’s not a bad thing …” The State Auditor ShadWhite, who conducted the criminal investigation and did not give federal prosecutors any advance warning, stated to Mississippi Today in October 2021, that he had never seen any evidence Bryant violated any law. White’s close personal and political ties with Bryant, as well as the announcement of the arrests over two years ago raise serious questions about whether the investigation was impartial. White, a former Bryant campaign manager and staffer who was later appointed as state auditor by the governor, stated that he believed it was the welfare chief’s duty to reject improper requests from him, not the governor’s obligation to know the regulations. The loudest public outcry after our reporting raises the question: Should Bryant, a former state auditor, who investigated federal welfare grants himself, not have known about agency spending regulations? White could have done a fair investigation into his political mentor. Mississippi lawmakers could have dramatically increased scrutiny of welfare spending in the future with just a few meetings and a stroke of a pen. Instead, they fled for cover, failing to make any serious effort to investigate how this fraud happened under their noses, or to pass laws that will prevent it from happening again. The majority of members of the U.S. Congress who annually appropriate federal welfare funds stolen don’t seem to know that massive welfare fraud took place in Mississippi and that it is likely that similar incidents are occurring in other states. Federal lawmakers and the state have not held any hearings to find out more about the extent of the fraud, prevent it from happening again, or how to spend welfare money better. Because neither the federal government nor the state required Mississippi officials showing that welfare funds were actually helping anyone, this fraud went unreported for many years. The funds were used in any way, legal or illegal, and the assistance was not given to the Mississippians who needed it. Current Gov. Tate Reeves, his state welfare leader, and his current governor have tried to assure the public that they’ve strengthened safeguards and stopped the generations-old rush to spend at the agency. They are asking for trust from Mississippi taxpayers, whose distrust in government was already high prior to Mississippi Today’s investigation. Reeves stated that Bryant’s revelations and their comments about the current welfare agency were part of “The Backchannel”. These words won’t be comforting for Mississippi taxpayers. A secrecy-operating executive branch spent millions of dollars to gain political or personal favors while neglecting the state’s poor. The state investigators are being accused of covering up the fact that they made questionable decisions during the probe. Legislators won’t pass legislation to prevent fraud from happening in the future. Worst, Mississippians who most needed the stolen funds were not given any consideration. They’re being ignored, as far as we know. How can elected officials allow this to continue in good conscience? “Systemic fraud can occur because there is so little oversight. It is tragic and shocking that Mississippi families living in poverty didn’t receive the help they required,” Carol Burnett, founder Mississippi Low-Income Child Care Initiative, said. Burnett said, “The flexibility that states have with this program can be used to benefit those who need it.” I believe the ultimate test should be the state’s poverty rates. What has the state done to reduce poverty, rather than just moving people off of welfare rolls? The poverty rate has not changed, unfortunately.