Nearly two weeks ago, I did two interviews with farmers in Georgia who both made a serious accusation against Congressman Sanford Bishop related to the Pigford v. Glickman black farmers settlement — that when they brought up excessive lawyer fees
From Lee Stranahan writing at the Huffington Post: While I was conducting a video interview with a Georgia farmer named Eddie Slaughter a couple of weeks ago, he made a surprising and stunning allegation: that he had told his congressman
As the Pigford investigation continues, it is important to note that we have demonstrated in our Pigford Report that there is massive fraud in the Pigford I settlement, but you have yet to hear a pro-Pigford politician admit to that
Several weeks ago, Huffington Post writer Lee Stranahan embarked on a multi-state mission through the American south to do what our media won’t do: interview the farmers and lawyers involved with the Pigford case, the most underreported government scandal of
From CBS News: President Obama earlier this month signed into law a measure to pay American Indians and black farmers a total of $4.6 billion to cover decades of government mistreatment. Now, a Republican congressman says the GOP-controlled House next
From Lee Stranahan: [youtube 3Ivo2X2oyIY nolink] Candidate Obama ran on a platform of openness, transparency and accountability in government but when it comes to the Pigford scandal, the USDA and Secretary Tom Vilsack continue a pattern of deception. At issue
Remember when Brian Williams showcased the story of Pigford whistleblower Jimmy Dismuke’s firsthand account of fraud in the case? [youtube r4sHwa3tVGk nolink] “Even if you got a potted plant, that makes you a farmer,” Dismuke recalled of the meetings he
In an interview with radio host Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Shirley Sherrod said she believed that the order to fire her came from the White House, not from Sec. of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, as Vilsack has claimed. She also revealed
As we have been chronicling in our Pigford coverage this week, the amount of evidence suggesting massive fraud is staggering and will continue to build and build. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack came out last week to say there have
WASHINGTON (AP) – American Indians and black farmers will be paid $4.6 billion to address claims of government mistreatment over many decades under landmark legislation President Barack Obama signed Wednesday. The legislation “closes a long and unfortunate chapter in our
The whole Pigford affair brings up a host of issues that need to be addressed. Was there racial discrimination at the U.S. Department of Agriculture? All the sources we talked to said yes. Was there a need to redress the
From The Hill: The Senate’s approval of a $1.15 billion settlement for black farmers meant to deal with decades of past discrimination capped a roller-coaster year on the issue for Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Vilsack was in the legislative trenches
**Post UPDATED with video of the press conference: [youtube Ww32uKxEmAE nolink] **** [youtube rLiE7KQaUMM nolink] **** [youtube GPOY48ddf3o nolink] **** From the Hill: House Republicans on Wednesday charged that a multibillion-dollar settlement with black farmers supported by the Obama administration
Congressman Steve King (R-IA), a Member of the House Agriculture and House Judiciary Committees, has written Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to request a meeting next week to discuss allegations of serious fraud in the disbursement of Pigford v. Vilsack settlement
Congressman Steve King (R-IA) has issued the following statement in response to the press conference held this week between former USDA employee Shirley Sherrod and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. During the press conference, Sherrod revealed that she would not
From the Associated Press: Shirley Sherrod, the Agriculture Department official ousted during a racial firestorm last month, declined Tuesday to return to the agency, though she said it was tempting. Sherrod and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said that she may
From the Associated Press: Ousted Agriculture Department employee Shirley Sherrod said Thursday she will sue a conservative blogger who posted an edited video of her making racially tinged remarks last week. Sherrod made the announcement in San Diego at the
Over at The Daily Beast, editor Tina Brown weighs in on the Sherrod kerfuffle: Let’s NOT have a conversation about race. The calls for Obama to now make the Shirley Sherrod debacle a teachable moment fills me with panic that
Wow. What an amazing transformation America saw across the mainstream media spectrum yesterday. Suddenly their collective righteous indignation-gene kicked in over false charges of racism. The real question is, how long will this last? I’m guessing right up until it’s
From Politico: Agriculture Department spokesman Chris Mather said Sherrod was let go because of what she said in March that was captured on the videotape, not due to her actions in regard to the farmer two decades ago. “She was
Correction: While Ms. Sherrod did discuss withholding help from a white farmer, it was not during her tenure with the USDA *** This morning, we broke video of a USDA official, Shirley Sherrod, recounting for attendees at an NAACP awards
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is facing renewed criticism this week with scientists charging that the government arm inaccurately labeled ethanol a “renewable fuel” last February. According to reports, at the same time that it revised its renewable fuel standards,
Last month, Capitol Confidential reported that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could be set to give the already well-subsidized ethanol industry a big boost by approving an increase in the amount of ethanol blended into gasoline from 10 percent to
