Former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant is threatening to sue news outlet Mississippi Today after its CEO claimed publicly to a national gathering of journalists and news leaders that her organization’s reporting had demonstrated that he “embezzled” millions in welfare dollars as part of a massive scandal involving the misuse of Temporary Assistance For Needy Families funds.
“We’re the newsroom that broke the story about $77 million welfare funds, intended for the poorest people in the poorest state in the nation, being embezzled by a former governor and his bureaucratic cronies and used on pet projects like a state-of-the-art volleyball stadium at Brett Favre’s alma mater,” Mississippi Today CEO Mary Margaret White told an audience during a Feb. 22, 2023, media panel at the Knight Forum in Miami, Fla.
No federal or state investigators have accused Bryant of any crime, including embezzlement, and no public reporting thus far has shown that the former governor directed welfare funds toward illegal purposes. Mississippi Today also did not break the overall story of the $77 million TANF scandal, though reporter Anna Wolfe has reported first on various facets of the scandal since the state auditor and Hinds County district attorney went public about the scandal and arrests on Feb. 5, 2020.
The former Republican governor’s attorney, Billy Quin, cited White’s remarks as he sent a notice of suit on Wednesday that demanded retractions and apologies within 10 days. Mississippi law requires a notice of suit before suing a news publication for defamation, as well as allowing 10 days for retractions before a lawsuit is filed. The complainant can, however, still file a lawsuit after retractions and begin the discovery process after the 10 days.
Bryant’s attorney addressed the letter to Mississippi Today Editor-in-Chief Adam Ganucheau, CEO Mary Margaret White and Wolfe. It alleges that White “defamed former-Governor Bryant” with her remarks at the Knight Foundation and that the reporter and editor later “falsely claim(ed) that Mississippi Today personnel had never stated that former-Governor Phil Bryant committed a crime.”
Ganucheau shared a statement Wednesday night with the Mississippi Free Press from Mississippi Today attorney Henry
Read original article by clicking here.