State Auditor Shad White and State Senator John Polk (R - Meat Market) squared off during a Senate Appropriations Committee meeting yesterday. Tempers flared, fireworks erupted, and verbal fisticuffs ensued for nearly a half hour as they went at it.
Start at 1:00:00 in video.
The hearing started off in a cordial fashion as Mr. White addressed why he asked for an appropriation that is $1 million less than his current budget. However, harmony lasted for only 15 minutes when Committee Chairman Polk harangued the State Auditor over his treatment of Brett Favre (1:20:00).
Mr. Polk said "one of my constituents is Brett Favre." The State Senator said he "tried to find out" how the State Auditor calculated the principal and interested owed by the football star in the DHS scandal. The fireworks began.
"I've had several numbers people look at the court record and what you are saying he owes and nobody can make it come to your number. Does that surprise you? " asked Mr. Polk.
Mr. White said his office sent him documents on how the interest claimed was calculated but the State Senator disagreed. The State Auditor bristled as he returned fire:
I'm just going to be very blunt right now. If you're biggest concern is how we got the Brett Favre demand amount correct down to the penny, I'm shocked because I have never once been called by this body to testify before any sort of hearing on the DHS scandal, the largest public fraud in state history and the first question I get is from a State Senator "Hey, did you get the Brett Favre number correct? I don't think that's right... You should have been asking tough questions about why this money was misspent in the first place.
The gloves were off as the two politicians traded licks for the next few minutes. The State Senator accused Mr. White of hiding his request to fund a $2 million study for finding waste in Mississippi government. (1:23:30) The State Auditor said finding waste in state government was part of his purview and thus did not require the legislature's permission. He added the study in question discovered over $300 million in wasteful spending by state agencies.
John Polk threw down the gauntlet at his opponent as he said the audit was not an audit. "You say you have the authority without issuing a request for proposals. You alone chose the firm," charged Mr. Polk.
The State Auditor vehemently disagreed with his inquisitor, "We had an RFP process." "No you did not," replied Mr. Polk. A fed up Shad White blasted the State Senator: "You are a liar, you are making this up. We had an RFP process. You're not going to sit here and lie about the state agency." Mr. Polk said the Department of Finance & Administration told him there was no RFP for the study. The State Auditor said his office received five bids for the study as he directed a staffer to send the scoring sheets to Mr. Polk. Mr. White confirmed the firm chosen was Boston Consulting Group. The Chairman said since the company had the word "consulting" in its corporate name, it was not an auditing firm. (KF: Say what?) He concluded by accusing the State Auditor of using "subterfuge" to conduct the study.
The State Senator apparently was engaging in a bit of subterfuge himself as Mr. White's office issued an RFP in 2023 despite Mr. Polk's false accusations. The 32-page RFP is posted below.
Mr. Polk demanded to know why Mr. White kept calling it an audit when the Attorney General said it was a managerial study and not an audit. Attorney General Lynn Fitch issued an opinion last year that stated the State Auditor had no authority to conduct the $2 million audit/study/thingamajig. Mr. Polk requested the opinion.
The State Auditor said he had every right to conduct such audits under state law. His predecessors conducted 400 similar audits over 30 years. "This was an audit that looked for waste, period," said Mr. White. Mr. Polk groused "Your answers are getting too long."
The two public servants saved the best for last. The Pine Belt State Senator asked Mr. White if he knew any employees, principals, or anyone connected with Boston Consulting Group. "Did any of your family members" work on the team or work for the company, started Mr. Polk when the State Auditor erupted: "By the way, if you assert that, I'm going to sue you for defamation. "I'm not asserting anything," replied Mr. Polk. "Multiple people have asserted that my wife worked for Boston Consulting Group which is not true, has never happened," responded Mr. White in kind . (1:32:00)
The State Senator denied he mentioned the State Auditor's wife. "And that's a really good thing for you. Don't assert that anyone in my family worked for that company," said the State Auditor. "I hate your answer that you just gave because I did not mention a family member. You brought that up." responded Mr. Polk. "Keep going, next question," said Mr. White .
State Senator Polk asked if anyone else had any questions.
31 comments:
Shad acting far too defensive. He is desperately running for Governor and I predict he will flame out long before the election year arrives.
Flame out or not, I'm supporting
Shad "The Phoenix" White
He'll do what's right
Misspending brought to light
He stands up to Might
Leads the little man's fight
That Shad "The Phoenix" White
Shad is a blow hard. Hope he crashes and burns.
Damn, Shad looks like a 5-year-old when they are told to go get in the tub. Little Shad is apparently not cut out for this line of work. Maybe he should go work the teacup ride at Disney and be around a like crowd.
Disappointing.
FWIW, I know John Polk and the last thing I would call him is a liar. I have worked with him in the industry for over 13 years and he is as honest and decent a man as you will find.
Polk doesn't need to be told to carry Democrat Delbert's water. He does it automatically and already has lots of experience. Time to push these blue dogs back to the Democratic Party where they belong.
Finally, some action in the midst of a sea of boring appropriations meetings!
Shad is a petulent child and Polk is a grand-standing drama queen. Both are an embarassment.
Bunch of mini Sid Salters in this comment section.
Shad is a whiner.
4:23 you say Polk is not a liar but he claimed White didn't issue an RFP for the study/audit but that turns out is a "LIE".
They deserve each other. Two blowhards.
@4:23, so you work in the sausage--er--pork barrel industry?
Kinda weird to flex knowing another man from that but okay.
The sad state of affairs of Mississippi is apparent when bubba gump Polk in a public committee hearing is saying "Bugh bugh Brett Farve is my friend how did you come up with those numbers that he owed?"
Happy to see bubba gump Polk crushed and called out for not ever having a hearing about misspent DHS funds or using committee time to investigate it. Reading the transcript read like observing a fool who is too much of a fool to realize how embarrassing he is.
The Chairman said since the company had the word "consulting" in its corporate name, it was not an auditing firm. (KF: Say what?) He concluded by accusing the State Auditor of using "subterfuge" to conduct the study.
Senator Polk is correct.
Boston Consulting Group is not an audit firm any more than Auditor White's title makes him a CPA ready to engage in the professional practice of auditing.
An example: BCG is not not a registered firm at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.
Example: The Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy requirements to sit for the CPA exam, and the work experience required for licensure are available online.
https://www.msbpa.ms.gov/licensing-exams
Auditor White probably isn't a licensed CPA or he would be telling everybody all about it.
Re: The Chairman said since the company had the word "consulting" in its corporate name, it was not an auditing firm. (KF: Say what?)
Some of y'all have never heard of Deloitte and it shows.
5:37 is correct, and Shad is wrong. A simple Google search reveals BCG is NOT an auditing firm. https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=is+Boston+Consulting+Group+an+auditing+firm&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
Well I want to know why they haven’t cut the funding to these wasteful agencies. $335 million, that’s a lot of waste. Shad u have my vote!!
Shad might be more credible in situations like this if he wasn't on social media all day pumping his legislative agenda.....while he is not a legislator. He is turning into the little spoiled girl in Willie Wonka (the Gene Wilder edition).
4:46 - you and the other folks working over there in the Auditors office ought to understand - there is a difference between a "lie" and a "mistake". Polk evidently was 'mistaken' based on (according to him) information he was given by DFA. My guess is that this RFP was issued direct by Shad's office and didn't go through the Personnel Board's review/process, but I might be 'mistaken' about that assumption.
Whatever - the issue is, one should understand the difference between something being "a line" and something being "wrong".
Good to see Polk has his priorities straight. F those poor people. Brett Vball farve gets his own senator. Polk loves his sausage
After insulting the chairman of appropriations shad can expect a budget haircut and specific language prohibiting him from doing any efficiency "audits" and requiring the auditor's office to only perform financial audits that require rendering an opinion on the financial position of a state or local entity.
Polk: no one wants to see how the sausage is made. Especially that highway 49 select grade
I really don’t know much about Polk or who has the high ground. But Shad needs to stop his obvious self-promotion and learn how to deal with criticism in a mature way if he wants my vote.
Looks like a cat fight
Nice to hear an State Agency Head having enough cajones to push back on a chairman of an legislative appropriations committee who appears to be trying to bully him.
Shad's grandstanding has gotten to be tiresome. That's the last type of personality that this state needs running for governor.
A taxpayer paid pissing contest.
Someone's clearly not ready for prime time.
One of these guys has, a la Jimmy Dean, smoked his own sausage one too many times.
John Polk just personified what people hate about politicians:
using the office for the benefit of one wealthy supporter, completely ignoring the largest public-money fraud in state history, while blithely engaging in character assassination of the person who called it out.
Shad is one of Feel's boys. That's all I need to know.
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