Mississippi News

Congressman asks feds to investigate Gov. Phil Bryant

Published

3 years ago

July 15, 2022

Congressman asks feds to investigate former Gov. Phil Bryant’s welfare spending influence

by Adam Ganucheau, Mississippi Today
July 15, 2022

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson wrote a letter on Friday to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, asking for a Department of Justice investigation into former Gov. Phil Bryant’s influence over the possible misspending of federal welfare funds.

Bryant, who was Mississippi governor from 2012-2020, was first publicly accused of wrongdoing this week by key defendants in the state’s ongoing civil case regarding the sprawling welfare scandal. The defendants specifically said Bryant directed them to pay former NFL quarterback Brett Favre $1.1 million in welfare funds, among other grant spending.

“This gross misuse of (welfare grant) dollars must illicit a review of former Governor Phil Bryant’s involvement,” Thompson wrote. “Such an investigation should also examine the intolerable activity of retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre and how his actions were aided by Governor Bryant.”

In his letter, Thompson referenced Mississippi Today’s “The Backchannel” investigative series, which first examined Bryant’s role in the scandal using never-before-published text messages shared with the news organization.

“It is egregious that news reports produce critical information that has yet to be addressed in the current investigations by state and local agencies,” Thompson wrote.

Thompson is not the first to call for a federal investigation of the former governor. In April, following initial publication of Mississippi Today’s “The Backchannel” series, the national president of the NAACP wrote a letter to Garland asking for a federal investigation.

Read the letter in full below:

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Mississippi News

Leaders, family mark 70th anniversary of Emmett Till’s murder

Published

1 day ago

August 28, 2025

Staff Editor

www.wjtv.com – Kaitlin Howell – 2025-08-28 09:09:00

SUMMARY: In honor of Emmett Till and the 70th anniversary of his 1955 lynching in Mississippi, leaders and family will hold a news conference at the Mississippi State Capitol on August 28, 2025. Till, a 14-year-old Black Chicago teen, was brutally murdered after being falsely accused of whistling at a white woman. His killers were acquitted by an all-white jury but later confessed. His death galvanized the Civil Rights Movement. Recently, thousands of previously unreleased federal records detailing the investigation were made public. President Biden signed legislation making lynching a federal hate crime and established a national monument honoring Till and his mother.

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Mississippi News

Kilmar Abrego Garcia surrenders to ICE in Baltimore, again faces possible deportation

Published

5 days ago

August 25, 2025

Staff Editor

www.wjtv.com – BRIAN WITTE and BEN FINLEY Associated Press – 2025-08-25 07:22:00

SUMMARY: Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national detained by U.S. immigration authorities in Baltimore, faces potential immediate deportation under the Trump administration. A Maryland federal court order pauses deportations for immigrants challenging detention, including Abrego Garcia. Previously wrongfully deported to El Salvador despite fearing violence, he was returned to the U.S. and charged with human smuggling, which he denies, calling the prosecution vindictive. The administration alleges gang ties, which he rejects. Abrego Garcia faces deportation to Uganda, a new U.S. deportation partner, despite his family and life in Maryland. His attorneys seek to block deportation pending legal review and due process.

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Mississippi News

Events happening this weekend in Mississippi: August 22-24

Published

1 week ago

August 22, 2025

Staff Editor

www.wjtv.com – Kaitlin Howell – 2025-08-22 07:20:00

SUMMARY: This weekend (August 22-24) in Mississippi offers diverse events across Central Mississippi and the Pine Belt. In Jackson, enjoy concerts like Starlito x Don Trip and The Step Brothers 4 Life Tour. Art lovers can explore exhibits such as The Garden of Earthly Delights in Natchez and Hurricane Katrina: Mississippi Remembers in Jackson. Family-friendly activities include the Mississippi Children’s Museum exhibits and the Farmer’s Markets in Jackson, Natchez, and Vicksburg. Notable events include the Black Men’s Health Equity Conference, The Boss T.E.A. Party, and the 15th Annual Leadership Natchez Kickball Tournament. In the Pine Belt, Southern Miss hosts the SMAC Welcome Back Festival and Pride Preview, while Laurel features The Color Purple musical and a chess social.

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