Friday, September 22, 2023

Food Fight: Back Channel Edition

 Mississippi Today and former Governor Phil Bryant got into it yet again.   

Reporter Anna Wolfe wanted to ask Mr. Bryant some questions and sent this email to his representative, Denton Gibbes of the Gibbes Agency: 

Hi Denton!

 

We’re working on a recap story covering what’s happened so far in the ongoing welfare investigation, seeing as this week marks one year since the first guilty plea in the federal case (John Davis, Sept. 22, 2022). I wanted to reach out to see if y’all had a response I could include. The story will reiterate some of what we’ve already reported, including that text messages show Davis was taking his direction from Gov. Bryant, that Bryant met with Davis about the administration of the welfare program and liked what Davis was doing, as well as the fact that six people, including Brett Favre, have said that Bryant supported, authorized or instructed some of the welfare spending decisions in question. This includes allegations from FavreNancy NewPaul LacosteAustin SmithTeddy DiBiase and Christi Webb. After John Davis’ guilty plea, Hinds DA Jody Owens told reporters that they were still reviewing text messages “as we continue to move up” and “John Davis is critical because the ladder continues to move up.”

 

Since the last time I asked, has Bryant been interviewed by state or federal investigators working on the case? 

 

I also wanted to see if y’all learned any more about Bryant’s texts with John Davis. Back in May, Bryant released texts with Davis, but they only included those sent after Davis retired in July of 2019. Were you able to locate the texts sent prior to July of 2019? They might have been to a different phone number for Davis since he changed jobs. 

 

Thanks for your help!  

 

Mr. Bryant's lawyer minced no words in responding to the intrepid reporter's email: 

“Mississippi Today has attempted to communicate with Bryant despite being represented by counsel.  Much to Mississippi Today’s chagrin, Bryant has still not been contacted or interviewed by state or federal investigators. Bryant has still not been informed that he is a target of any investigation. Bryant has released all messages between him and Davis that are within his care, custody, and control. There will be a day when Anna Wolfe and others from Mississippi Today will have the opportunity to discuss under oath their reporting, their sources, the information that purportedly supports their reporting, and their characterizations of their reporting. Today is not that day. We’ll see Mississippi Today and its CEO Mary Margaret White in court when they can speak under penalty of perjury.”

-Billy Quinn 


58 comments:

Anonymous said...

what an asinine message from Anna Wolfe - she's 'asking' while at the same time repeating her accusations. Surely she didn't expect to get an answer from Gibbs to this ridiculous request. And also bet she didn't expect to get the answer she got from the attorney.

If nothing else, Anna Wolfe put her (and Mississippi Today's) true colors out for all to see with this message to Gibbs.

Anonymous said...

The Barksdalers won't like this-

Anonymous said...

I’m thinking I like that Quinn fella.

Anonymous said...

Jesus Christ - she sounds like a sorority girl asking for help on an article for the student newspaper. And the exclamation points - totally unprofessional.

Anonymous said...

“Passive aggressive or aggressively passive?

-Phil Ken Sebben

Anonymous said...

IANAL - Do occasionally stay at Holiday Inn Express.

>> ... Bryant has still not been contacted or interviewed by state or federal investigators.

This may or may not be good news for Bryant.

Seems a little odd that if he was the whistleblower someone might have... um...investigated... by finding out what the self proclaimed whistleblower knew, he ight be a good person to interview because he has law enforcement and investigative experience-don't forget he's a former state auditor. OR MAYBE NOT?

>>Bryant has still not been informed that he is a target of any investigation.

This may or may not be good news for Bryant.

If I remember correctly it seems like a lot of the federal felonies have a five year statute of limitations.

Anonymous said...

Wolfe's inquiry tactic is exactly why NOBODY trusts the media today. NONE of them know how to do their jobs in this WOKE society we currently find ourselves living in.

Disgusting journalism (if one can call it that!)

Anonymous said...

I'm glad you cleared that up for us @11:50.

Anonymous said...

Anna Wolfe is the poster child for lack of self awareness.

Anonymous said...

But, but, she won a Pulitzer. Oh wait, even Nobama won a Nobel (because he checked off a box).

Anonymous said...


"We’ll see Mississippi Today and its CEO Mary Margaret White in court when they can speak under penalty of perjury.”

A perfect answer to these clowns.

Anonymous said...

Anna Wolfe's arrogance reminds me of that Anna Delvey chick in Inventing Anna. Like why would she do this and then report about it? Surely she wasn't expecting a response.

Anonymous said...

Anna Wolfe has balls. Good for her.

Anonymous said...

Is she really that stupid to send such a request ?

Let's see if we can recap here for you, Ms Wolfe: You've accused the former Governor of fraud and criminal conduct, smeared his name to the worst extent, and believe he should go to prison.... to the extent that he has now sued you and/or MT for defamation. But now "Hey, Governor, it's me, you know, Anna, the reporter who accused you of fraud and criminal activity and dogged you out. Listen, I'm writing another article reiterating the same horrible things I've been saying about you and was wondering if you could help me out and give me some new info for my newest article dogging you out once again. Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it."

My God what a stupid request. Sure, Anna, I'll be glad to help you continue to slander me. Geees, what an idiot. I'm surprised she didn't get a two word reply of "F**k you". Quinn handled it more professionally than I would have.

I'm no fan of the former Governor and don't know if he did anything criminal or not. But I now seriously question Ms Wolfe's intelligence and sincerity, so I won't waste my time reading anything she writes any more.

Burke said...

Methinks Miss Anna is rattling the cage.

Anonymous said...

12:57, what she did was effective. It is called pot stirring. If you are that riled up, think about how pissed Bryant is. Ruined his weekend probably.

Also supports the narrative of young little female journalist versus the powerful old man with a team of lawyers. And they fell for it by even responding at all.

Anonymous said...

All this pearl clutching from you Bryant worshippers is surprising. She's just a journalist doing what journalists do which is needle away with their questions repeatedly. I must say, for Quinn to say Bryant hasn't been contacted is a reach.

Anonymous said...

1:11 - ding ding ding. we have a winner.

Anonymous said...

Methinks @12:57 works with/for ol' Phil.

Anonymous said...

I can't stand Philbilly but I also loathe this generation of irresponsible idiot reporters and what it has done to cause so much distrust in society.

People are in such a hurry to get famous that they will do something as idiotic as this.

I thought she might be one of the rare people who want to take her craft seriously, but this makes future journalistic endeavors seem tainted...juvenile and immature.

Anonymous said...

I didn't think much about Bryant's lawsuit in the beginning, but the more stuff you see like this, the more that MT is proving Bryant's point for him. To not include Quinn's quote when you asked for it and they gave it to you is beyond comprehension.

If they wind up having to write him a check in any amount, it's going to be game over for the BNN (Barksdale News Network).

Anonymous said...

I've said this so many times. I've dealt with this reporter before and her arrogance is astounding. She is so self righteous it never dawns on her the thought of herself being arrogant.

Anonymous said...

Unforced error. Wonder if Kid Ganuchump greenlighted the reach out.

Anonymous said...

No Pigott, No Pulitzer.

Anonymous said...

Pot stirring. That is what people with no real job do. I am no fan of Phil, but I feel like it didn't ruin his weekend.

Anonymous said...

Hey 1:37....12:57 here. Youthinks wrong. I don't even like the former governor, but I also don't like shoddy journalism either. Now go back to your thinking, or lack thereof.

Anonymous said...

Kingfish, I just curious, I wonder who all got this email?

Anonymous said...

Does Anna Wolfe speak Valley Girl pidgin? It's what I detect in reading her words.

Anonymous said...

Let’s see here. My wife’s best friend runs a non-profit financed by the state and Brett Farve loves me. What $77 million in TANF funds are you talking about. He reminds me of SGT. Clink on Hogan’s Heroes.

Anonymous said...

1:19 You've been watching WAY too many feminist-infused "speaking truth to power" movies

Anonymous said...

My guess is that the editorial staff and lawyers cleared this one before she sent it and they got just what they wanted. The story continues with a comment from them.

Anonymous said...

The legacy of people like Anna Wolfe coming down to Mississippi, to stick her big nose where it doesn’t belong, and to lead us to the “Promised Land” like Moses coming down from Mt. Sinai, is why the Capitol City of this state is objectively worse than it was prior to the 1960s.

Were there not enough muckraking opportunities in Washington State, Miss Anna?

Anonymous said...

Wolfe isn’t a journalist. She is an activist.

Anonymous said...

So Phil Bryant doesn't have any text messages with John Davis from when Davis was the director of DHS? Bullshit.

Discovery is this case should get interesting.

Anonymous said...

No fan of liberals (voted for Trump twice), nerdy liberal reporters, people who come from else where to crap on Mississippi, none of that, but in this case, this nerdy little liberal reporter has been right and continues to be right. The text messages clearly show Bryant knew what was going on and was engaging in pay for play while still in office.

Party solidarity isn’t the end all be all, what’s right is right. I hope Phil goes to jail, however unlikely.

Anonymous said...

Does Anna Wolfe speak Valley Girl pidgin? It's what I detect in reading her words.

She is basically cut from the same cloth as Alicia Silverstone, Tori Spelling, and Sarah Michelle Gellar. If she had a bleach blonde and rhinoplasty then she would be the complete Valley Girl stereotype.

Anonymous said...

@4:08 PM - Did COLONEL Klink get demoted to Sergeant?

Anonymous said...

Wolfe is a hack for the DNC.

Matter of Time. Matter of Time. said...

You blew your own theory, September 22, 2023 at 12:57 PM.

She didn't contact or attempt to contact the ex-gub. She contacted an attorney. Stirring the pot? Of course. Brilliant.

That Bryant's hired hand even responded proves her brilliance.

It's a chess game, you see. And she just captured a knight.

Anonymous said...

In 1992 Butch John a former Clarion Ledger reporter once told me, “you don’t win a law suit in the media”, that’s what’s court for!

Anonymous said...

"I see nothing, I hear nothing, and I say NOTHING!!!"

I'm pretty sure Philbilly is doing a Sgt Schultz and it's the News doing a Colonel Klink.





There are no text messages or emails and I don't know why!

Anonymous said...

@9:34 - you started out sounding like you knew what you were talking about. Yes, the Mississippi Today (brandon presley mouthpiece) didn't attempt to contact the ex-gub).

BUT she didn't contact an attorney. She contacted Phil's PR guy.

and the PR guy wasn't who responded.

Phil's ATTORNEY responded.

Yes, it is a chess game. And she didn't capture even a pawn. She tried ---- but she failed. Nice try to cover for her gambit that failed.

Maybe you need to pay closer attention next time you try to sound intelligent, and defend Brandon's communication department.

Anonymous said...

Hi Denton! doesn’t exactly hit the right note. I’d invent a more depersonalized salutation under the circumstances.

Anonymous said...

If you can’t defend your actions, attack the investigator’s politics. Phil apparently took Law 101 at Trump Community College.

Anonymous said...

@12:23 a.m. - Good to see that Phildilly's legal team is still up and working (worrying).

Turn your fedora around, Luther...I loathe Presley almost as much as I loathe Phildilly. And I still wanta bid on that truck when finances get tight.

Anonymous said...

Can any attorneys on here answer this: Why have all those that have been indicted not been sentenced? Why all the continuances? Are the Feds gathering more information?

No sentences for all those folks that were charged (or cooperating) is glaring in her article, and I think that was the main point.

Anonymous said...

As dumb as Phil looked in those texts, you can’t blame her for shaking the tree and seeing what falls out.

Anonymous said...

Hey Kingfisher how many other media outlets got that same email?

Anonymous said...


“Wolfe's inquiry tactic is exactly why NOBODY trusts the media today.”

Did you see the viral barstool video where the hack “journalist” from the Washington Post labeled Dave Portnoy a misogynist in an e-mail to his fundraiser’s partners in an attempt to get the sponsor to back out? Journalists are freaking evil human beings these days as well as corrupt. Laughably, this same papers’ motto is “Democracy Dies in Darkness.”

Anonymous said...

Regardless of whether Wolfe contacted his attorney or his PR guy, fact remains she did NOT attempt to contact Phil, as has been claimed.

Meanwhile, there is no rule or standard requiring that a journalist NOT contact a party to a suit or legal action (but must go through counsel). That only applies to opposing attorneys.

Anonymous said...

You know Mississippians are smart and know when a cat is on the line. Most know that John Davis didn’t have the balls to do this alone and without the push and the go ahead.

No difference for any politicians bad deeds! We somehow turn our heads when we dislike a certain group of people and then politicians can do and say what they want and we go along with it knowing it’s wrong.

We have to start caring about each other and elect people that are really trying to make a difference in Mississippi and not line their and friends pockets in gold.

We need a new breed of people to lead Mississippi with a vision for all Mississippians. Do you really know why these donors give Lots of money cause they like politicians, naw cause they want something greater in return that don’t include you!

Anonymous said...

Put me in the column of folks who know damned well Phil Bryant is just not that bright. His indictment is coming.

The feds are simply waiting on the total evidence-package to develop so they can put a bow on it and a label that reads "Phil Bryant Indictment". And that evidence-package will come from all those who HAVE been indicted, not Wolfe or her medium.

Anonymous said...

Anna Wolfe sounds like she followed protocol. She let them know what was being presented in the article and the questions she would like answered.
An innocent person would not have minded answering ANY questions. Phil is guilty as hell, Tater Tot is involved up to his dwarf ass, and Shad tried to cover it up. Charge them already!

Anonymous said...

If and when Phil gets indicted by the feds he will probably cop a plea.

Anonymous said...

"Can any attorneys on here answer this: Why have all those that have been indicted not been sentenced?"

I'm not an attorney, but I bet they have not been sentenced because there have been no trials. And if they plead guilty, they won't be sentenced until they rat out Phil and Brett.

Anonymous said...

just fishing, for a comment

Kingfish said...

The email exchange was sent to all media outlets

Anonymous said...

Most of the commenters have NO IDEA what good journalism looks like, since they've drunk the Trump-Fox News kool-aid. They've been hoodwinked into believing the lies that only the conservative voices are legitimate. And, yet - which news channel has been FOUND GUILTY of lying and deceit? Anyone who relies on Fox for news has NO clue about journalism standards.


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