Former Governor Phil Bryant actually sat down with reporter Anna Wolfe for a three-hour interview about the DHS scandal, Brett Favre, Prevacus, what the Governor knew, and when he knew it. Kudos to Ms. Wolfe for bagging the elephant. There are some nuggets in the quiz. Some excerpts:
MT: So going into your last month as governor, Jake offered to bring you on with ownership into Prevacus. You said you wouldn’t be able to until January 15th.
Bryant: No, I think I said, “Let’s, talk to me about January 15th.”
MT: “Governor, can we bring you on board with ownership now?”
“Cannot until January 15th, but would love to talk then. This is the type of thing I would love to be a part of. Something that saves lives.”
Bryant: Right.
MT: So what was the difference between January 14th and January 16th? Why couldn’t you do it until—
Bryant: I think the 15th was when I was leaving office. So, I didn’t talk to anybody about anything in business until I left office. People would come up to me and say, “We want you to be a part of our business. We want you to come around board. We want you to come in and join our firm.” And I would always say, “I can’t talk to you until after I leave office. I don’t even want to talk about it.”...
So, I would love to be a part of something that saved lives, again, back to the concept of that, but not — here’s the important thing, I think the important thing: I never asked for, received, or wanted stock in that company. Never. Now, were they offering that? But people come up to you all the time and say, “Oh man, I’d like you to do this. I want you to do that.” And I try to be nice and say, “Thank you very much. We can talk about it later.” But if you notice, I didn’t take it. I turned that down. I could have, I could have said — OK, let’s say, I leave office on the 15th. Well, two weeks later I could have said, “Well transfer it,” whatever stock looks like. I’m not sure how you do that, but—
MT: Would that be appropriate?
Bryant: No, it wouldn’t be appropriate. That’s why I didn’t do it....
MT: A calendar entry from Davis’ email says that you and Favre requested the meeting with Jake and Nancy and John Davis—
Bryant: That’s not true. I don’t remember—
MT: —to discuss concussion research and the new facility at USM.
Bryant: Ok, who wrote that?
MT: John Davis. It was a calendar entry.
Bryant: I can’t help what other people write. But I would not have requested that meeting take place. Wouldn’t have gone to it. Now, could someone have told John I asked him to do that?
And that’s the other thing as governor, the number of things that people say I say or do, were astronomical. We would try to guard against it. We would literally tell people, “Now don’t go out and say I did it,” or, “Don’t go out and say I’m for it.” But they would anyway. ...
MT: A couple of weeks after the meeting at Brett Favre’s house, between Jake and Nancy and John Davis, Jake texted you, “Governor, I’m working with Nancy New on our phase 1A funding,” among other project updates and you responded, “Great report. We will get this done.” Did you have any thoughts —
Bryant: I have no idea what that is.
MT: –about that when you saw it, or why would he be talking to you about Nancy New?
Bryant: Again, I probably were wrong in doing it, but my standard reply was that very positive response — “good,” “great” — but I did not thoroughly process that. And I should have caught it.
Check out the rest of the long interview. Indulge in a glass of Sazerac, some medical marijuana or a Fuentes cigar.
Kingfish note: It's hard to believe the former Governor actually exposed himself to a three-hour interview on this subject.
69 comments:
Yeah, no idea why he sat for that interview. Political suicide 101. What an idiot.
It’s no fun when the rabbit has the gun, where’s the comment’s republicants?
A damned fool for doing that. He thought he was smarter than she and that he would be able to explain it away.
Not a huge fan of the former governor, but I do respect him for sitting through this painful process. Anna is good, but I HATE a "gotcha" reporter. At this point, I believe he was just enamored with a former NFL quarterback and a product that sounded promising, thinking about what he might become involved with when out of office. He was possibly used by Brett.
I agree with 4:24. Bryant should have consulted a criminal defense attorney first, but he probably thought he could handle it himself.
As for "gothca" reporting, this was not an ambush. Those were legitimate questions covering Bryant's actions as governor of the state. She didn't make him look bad; he did that all by himself. She just did her job.
Trent Lott performed the same political suicide as Phil when he appeared on BET.
Gov Phil Initially DECLINED to be interviewed.
by Anna Wolfe
April 4, 2022
Before publishing Part 1 of our five-month investigation into Bryant’s involvement Mississippi’s welfare scandal, we requested an interview with the former governor to allow him to respond to our findings.
PART 1: Phil Bryant had his sights on a payout as welfare funds flowed to Brett Favre
After initially DECLINING to discuss the investigation with Mississippi Today, Bryant gave a three-hour interview on April 2. He said there is more to the story than the text messages, which he acknowledged don’t “Look Good.” Some of what Bryant told our news organization in the interview below is contradicted by texts he sent.
I hear you 4:25pm but this is way more than a "gotcha" moment. He used his position to order the laundering of federal funds meant for welfare recipients with the hopes of getting rich. It is disgusting and he has gotten away with it in the public's eye for way too long.
Has it been asked or investigated if Phil directed MDA to provide healthcare incentives or workforce grants to this company? Hmmm?
Bless his heart.
People get locked up for being criminally stupid every day.
Even Deppity Pheel should have remembered that!
His ability to remember the contents of his text messages was really curious. Sometimes he claimed not to have any recollection of the texts existing or knowledge of what they said, even when he substantively responded to them at the time. But on other occasions, he remembered them so well that he was able to refer to portions that the reporter did not even have with her.
Interesting.
CoMe oN, dOn’T bEa RINO. OnLy RINO’s gO aFtEr feLlOw cOnSerVaTiVeS.
@5:01 No matter how hard Phil tries he will not do himself any favors at the grand jury.
No diminished capacity defense in Mississippi as far as I know!
@4;48 - very correct. This was not 'ambush reporting' as Phil's folks want to claim.
She could have run with the article as it was - well researched, documented, and I am sure checked out by their legal staff. But as a good reporter (which she is, although some of her previous reporting got tainted by her tending to add a racial component) she offered to let Phil address these questions to whatever extent he chose.
Problem was, Phil was for some reason not adequately prepared for some of the questions she asked. My bet is that he had no idea she had many of these text messages and thought he could bluff his way through as he has the rest of his political career (check out the monogram on my boots, Anna!)
The fact that he showed up on a Saturday for a three hour interview the day before the teaser was going to run says that he finally realized that this wasn't going to be good and he needed to at least attempt to quinch the fire.
Afraid though that the result is that he pitched a can of kerosene on it instead.
Part II coming to a screen near you soon.
Anna is a leftist hack.
Toward the end of this conversation, Bryant denies having control over state agency spending:
MT: Don't make decisions about state funding?
Bryant: Right
MT: About agency funding?
Bryant: Right
But if you go back in the interview when he discusses the idea that this could have been an economic development project, Bryant said he could have called MDA and told them to "put a million dollars here", or "they need a building, lets get them some money", etc. When Bryant needed the escape he used the question about why DHS and stated that he would have directed the decision about that "state agency funding".
Which one you gonna believe - your lying mouth or your other lying mouth?
And somewhere in Tchula or Iuka, Shad has his crack team getting ready to pounce on the head maintance guy who used his Fuelman to fill up his car once. A 3 hour confession from the guy who appointed him? That'd be a waste of his time.
I'm beginning to think coming up through political the ranks must be more of a pillow fight than a forge.
Once these hacks have to answer to someone who isn't kissing their asses, they just fall apart.
I’ve met Mr Davis on several occasions when he was a County Director DHS in Lincoln County (Brookhaven). He seemed to be a caring and decent person!
What happened when he became State Director of DHS, I have no idea!
I’ll bet $20 that John did nothing without the boss knowledge!
I just hope he doesn’t lay down and take that rap. Even if it was wrong, I can’t see him doing anything without approval!
He seemed timid/weak the times I had interactions with him.
Phil is certainly more guilty than Favre or the doctor. At least they said multiple times “if legal”. A sitting Governor has access to all the legal help in the world for free. They all look like dopes, but New is the crook. She wanted to make all dreams come true.
I heard Phil speak at an event where he stated all he ever wanted to be in life was a deputy sheriff. I thought after hearing that then and reading his explanation of events and text deputy sheriff should have been his ceiling for a job.
Phil and Deb took every chance to take pictures with Nancy New and be on tv or in the paper! They were her biggest cheerleader!! UNTIL.... she was used as the scapegoat for their greed. They destroyed her and John Davis and soo many others. They have lied and cheated the people of Mississippi.
It is clear to see that Shad White had a part in this and covered for Phil and helped cover up his part!!
this whole thing is disgusting and sad!
There is a special place in Hell for Phil Bryant!!
I'll give Gov. Bryant credit for agreeing to do the interview & confront his accuser. It would have been much worse to say "no comment," in which case you're automatically judge guilty in the public's eye. He's right, this doesn't look good, but it's better to offer your perspective & acknowledge you could & should have done much better. It's the only hope he has, given his own texts.
Phil's got nothing to lose with the barbarians (i.e. Feds) at his gates.
I wouldn't be surprised if Shad himself has said to him, "Phil, I did all I could. It's out of my hands now. You might want to get out ahead of this by beating the press to the punch."
There's just no other rational reason to do that interview at this point.
He was ambushed alright.
He ambushed himself with his overestimation of his own brilliance.
I'm a conservative. I believe in right and wrong. I (along with many others) suspected Phil was crooked but had no proof. I think the proof is going to come out.
Nail his ass to the wall. Favre, Nancy New... nail their asses to the wall.
Corruption is unacceptable.
It won't stop until the tempted agree the risk is greater than the payoff.
I recall when Phil pulled the plug on the pediatric palliative care facility in West Jackson at the old Calvary church because "his consultants" told him how cost prohibitive it was, only to award a much bigger contract in NE Jackson for a similar facility that would bear his wife's name. This is after the folks at Calvary had been working on this project for decade. This article will make you sick when it alludes that the NE Jackson facility was all Deborah's brain child, when people had been working on it since the Barbour years. I have to assume their friend Miss New directed some funds to this project that will bear the Bryant name forever.
https://www.ebdarch.com/blog/2019/12/11/groundbreaking-mississippi-center-for-medically-fragile-children
Who do you look at when all hell breaks loose in Mississippi Government, the Governor! Who appoints Agency Heads? The Governor! Who approves million dollar handouts, the Governor!
This shit ain’t rocket science!
Who gets thrown under the bus? The Agency Director!
That shit ain’t right!
Do you really think all the monies in question were given out without the Governor’s approval???
If so, why didn’t you get any?
Either Shad takes Bryant down, or Shad's political career is over. There is no middle ground. Of course, he could always host Howdy Doody Time on cable.
This is the guy we are counting on to bring the former governor to justice. Won't happen.
https://www.google.com/search?q=pee+wee+herman&rlz=1C1GCEU_enUS889US890&sxsrf=APq-WBtATdd3CJxz-ansiZdYHElWnvlHgA:1649292408547&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjs_pCB3YD3AhUylWoFHeJeCB8Q_AUoAXoECAIQAw&biw=1280&bih=577&dpr=1.5
7:29 with the history lesson. This got about 60 seconds of fame, but I recall it sounded bizarre at the time. In light of the Nancy New stuff, it sounds par for the course. Too many things don't add up. Kill a deal that's been in the works for 10 years and then magically announce a new thing named after your wife that costs twice as much. That's what we call republicanism. I hope Shad or the FBI is reading this blog.
https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2018/01/24/mississippis-sickest-children-could-get-new-home-jackson-but-where/1058498001/
He knows that he is "too big to fail." That's Mississippi good ol' boy immunity.
@ 7:29…..Nancy New was the only one fighting for your palliative care project. The Bryant’s hijacked that and sold it to Palladium, a higher bidder, who Bryant Songy Snell currently represents. Deborah Bryant drove the train. Focus your blame elsewhere.
Nancy was used and set up to take the fall from day 1. I’m hoping she’s about to help expose and burn them all!
Additional commentary- someone else seems a little skeptical:
Brett Favre And Former MS Gov Phil Bryant Never Heard Of The Stringer Bell Rule, And It Shows!
Are you takin' notes on the criminal f*ckin' conspiracy?
By Liz Dye on April 4, 2022 at 6:18 PM
“I just simply did not carefully look at those texts and realize the intent in them,” Bryant told MT. “And I know that’s hard to believe and I know people read it and say, ‘Well, of course he knew,’ but I’m telling you, I just did not realize the details within those texts.”
That’s right, he just responded to those texts without reading them. That’s his story, and he’s sticking to it.
So when Favre texted the governor in 2018 “It’s 3rd and long and we need you to make it happen!!” and Bryant responded “I will open a hole,” the sitting governor wasn’t promising help to secure FDA approval for a concussion treatment drug Favre had invested in. He was just, you know, talking sports. The fact that Favre’s company got $1.7 million from state welfare officials a week later was entirely coincidental.
https://abovethelaw.com/2022/04/brett-favre-and-former-ms-gov-phil-bryant-never-heard-of-the-stringer-bell-rule-and-it-shows/
I’m shocked and appalled. I must commend my fellow conservative blog readers. You have shocked me tonight. Salud…
@7:47pm. GOAT
Are there any good criminal defense attorneys on staff at Bryant Songy Smell Global Partners LLC? Asking for a friend!
Regarding the palliative care project, this is a better read. It was one of the first Bryant moves that left everybody scratching their heads. Whether New was involved or not, it left everybody involved with a slimy feeling about Bryant, Bryant and Songy. He and She lied their asses off about how the project was conceived and the church called them out on it. Sweetheart deals all around.
https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2018/01/24/mississippis-sickest-children-could-get-new-home-jackson-but-where/1058498001/
Why has Shad White sat on these details about Phil Bryant and Brett Favre for so long? He said Phil was the Whistleblower which appears to be total laughable BS now. Inquiring minds want to know!
" If it’s going to come out eventually, better have it come out immediately."
Feel will be in a wheelchair tapping a little bell before this is over...
... that left everybody scratching their heads.
... it left everybody involved with a slimy feeling ...
Who is everybody? How do you know?
Seriously doubt you're an insider.
Either Shad takes Bryant down, or Shad's political career is over. There is no middle ground.
Sure, whatever you say. You've got your finger on the Mississippi pulse.
I must commend my fellow conservative blog readers. You have shocked me tonight. Salud…
We're all sooooo happy that you are happy. Pat yourself on the back and complete the circuit.
Scam gives a whole new meaning to "Favre rates"......
Yep, young Shad is just another right wing political opportunist!
If PHil was a Dem, this thread would be smoking with activity and probably set an all time record for comments from brain washed conservatives that can only speak in the language of FOX.
If you read the article, Nancey New was 100% involved and not just a pawn. Remember she signed a personal contract that would have benefited her alone with the medical company (albeit with fed funds ).
And the AG continues to try and protect political cronies, provide political cover and derail DHS's civil suit to recover the pilfered funds. Lots of other fish out there running for cover. Ever heard of Lobaki?
"I'm dumb, I wear cowboy boots, I holler yee-haw from a coliseum buckboard and I gave you Cindy Hyde-Bryant-Smith and the Cowboy Hat. I hunt clip-winged quail up at Louisville and got me a thousand hunting acres named after me. And I should have consulted with counsel before jumping on this interview. Yep, shoulda hired a lawyer. And not my daughter. A real lawyer."
Lobaki? That's a tech startup that Innovate keeps promoting and bragging about. What in the world did they do wrong?
Looks like Songy spent some time on here this morning cleaning up.
If PHil was a Dem, this thread would be smoking with activity ...
If you weren't a troll you might start your own gig and compete with Kingfish in the marketplace to determine who would draw a wider and larger audience.
@8:51 there's no signed personal contract between the News and the medical company. There never has been. They've never owned stock in that company. That's been a lie from Day 1.
Here's another dot to connect:
As soon as the kitchen-heat got warmer and the shit got closer to the fan in regards to the girls' volleyball money spent at Southern Miss (Both Bryants' and Favre's almer-tomahto), a certain college president resigns.
Oh, but that was a month ago. Right. That's when the kitchen door opened and the heat came out. And his resignation isn't yet effective. Right...but it's been announced at just the right time.
But you can't jump on a college president who happens to be black. Oh, really? Every other player in this money laundering scheme is white...why not add a little diversity? The college president knew damned well this expenditure did not meet the purposes intended to help welfare recipients. But, a governor, a first lady and the schools most famous alum all said, "Hey, no problem". Right.
@6:44 PM
Your definition of a crook is odd : Keeping your two bosses happy by doing what they “ask” you to do (or there’ll be no funding) does not a crook make.
Not the whistleblower. How can people still believe this?
Elaborate on Lobaki. See Brett appeared on their Facebook page in 2020.
The college president announced he would be leaving when his current contract ends June 30, 2023, or sooner if he finds a new professional opportunity. Word on the (Hardy) street is the college president was told he would not be receiving a contract extension. Interesting to speculate if the volleyball facility funding situation contributed to IHL's decision not to retain him as president. The athletic department's leadership has changed since VolleyballGate was initiated so no one there to take the fall.
Anyone interested can google for info about Lobaki. There's a lot to see!
Just add a name or two:
"Lobaki"+"Lumumba" gets you the press release for Jackson partnering with Lobaki in some way to help fix or replace the City of Jackon's decrepit Russell C. Davis Planetarim.
"Lobaki"+"Bryant" gets a video with Phil the Whistleblower looking goofy in a VR headset! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZW_Uns7XEjk
"Lobaki"+"Mississippi Development Authority" gets you (among other things) a press release where Phil's former head of MDA joins the board of Lobaki. https://www.innovate.ms/lobaki-adds-glenn-mccullough-jr-to-board-of-directors/. Could it be that this helped grease a new contract with MDA in 2021 for VR Trade Show something something? From PEER: https://www.peer.ms.gov/Reports/reports/rpt666.pdf
Only $16,250, that kind of money falls out of Mississippi MDA's pockets every day just getting out of bed in the AM!
Lobaki Contract
Per MDA staff, local convention and visitor bureau leaders expressed
interest in utilizing virtual reality for trade shows to showcase their
communities to group tour operators and tourism professionals in the
United States and other countries. Due to Vicksburg’s popularity with
international travelers, Visit Mississippi has chosen to test the concept
in Vicksburg, and in August 2020, MDA signed a contract with Jackson-
based company, Lobaki, for a 20-minute 360 virtual reality (VR) video
experience. Visit Vicksburg worked with Lobaki to match video ideas
with marketing efforts surrounding ideas such as arts and antiques, civil
war history, and adventure.
According to MDA staff, MDA has not received the video due to Lobaki
experiencing personnel issues. However, Lobaki has indicated those
issues have been resolved, and they are working on the project. As
required by the contract, MDA has partially paid for the completed
portions of the video.
ASKED FIRST RIGHT HERE AT JJ:
Can the defendants plead out after they are charged and get sentenced to house arrest with 40 hrs a week of Paqchmann VR? That way they can do their time, still attend church on Sundays and help keep Mississippi Mississippi.
In his interview, "Papa" Bryant keeps telling Anna Wolfe that he "had such faith in the controls within government." What total horseshit!
DHS had been cited year after year by the Auditor's Office, well before Shad White got there. DHS was known for years to be a train wreck and nothing was ever done about it. Take a look also at CPS, Medicaid and oh let's not forget MDOC. Phil is a lying POS who has finally been exposed.
10:56 Like a typical tinfoil hat wearing conservative, you only want to interact with people that also only speak FOX. That is known as inbreeding. It does wonders for the intellect of the community.
@7:31. Are you really asking why Shad White would “sit on all this information “ for over two years? It's plain as day, when he came out all guns blazing without even basic investigation, he was hiding someone very important and thought the News would simply roll over. Not so fast, ......things are not always as they seem at first.
Did "the Debra" ever find her AR-15?
Hopefully Phil is made to repay every dime he stole and spend the rest of his pathetic life in prison. What a thug POS loser.
Aww, these folks'll be lining up to vote for the "fear, fascist, fraud" party at the next election, despite all this. That's just Mississippi. All any fraudster's gotta do is scream "librul!!!"
Looks like Phil’s brilliant daughter would have advised against that self-incriminating interview. I mean she was such an exceptional lawyer right out of law school that the Madison County Supes hired her before the ink on her diploma was dry. Perhaps a little look-see is in order in regard to that transaction too. Or maybe everybody is confident that Shad will put party above ethics and all of this will just fade away as usual.
Well, it's about time someone finally started connecting the dots. Shad White had this information and chose not to make it public. Nancy and Zach New were indeed the scapegoats and were having to take the fall for what was put into motion by Phil Bryant via John Davis. There are a lot of dirty fingers in this pie but Nancy and Zach New are not the crooks.
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