Reporter stops city council's private meeting about missing COVID money
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- Опубликовано: 23 апр 2024
- MISSING COVID BUCKS: This SC city is trying to figure out what happened to federal tax dollars given to it during the pandemic. They tried to meet in private to talk about it, but we stopped that and forced council back into public session.
Now, more than a week later, the City of Bennettsville still won't tell anyone what's going on with these tax dollars.
FULL REPORT:
www.qcnews.com/news/investiga...
Money doesn't disappear.
It finds its way into the pockets of corrupt elected officials, their friends and family.
Exactly, why can’t the voters understand that? Is it just wishful thinking…?
“Men will not look at things as they really are, but as they wish them to be...and, are ruined.”
- Niccolò Machiavelli (The Prince, 1513)
They carried the money in a leaky bucket.
@@JRandaII voters dont count for anything anymore- thats why
Yep, and that's why there needs to be an auditor looking into why diaper don demanded he be the only person and the oversight committee on the 4.2 trillion dollar stimulus when he was pretending to be president.
There's only one reason anyone would demand they and only they are oversight on anything.
@@tpliscon4662 TDS is real.
Neither the elected officials nor the Auditor will answer any questions concerning missing money. Despicable behavior.
Jody Barr could find a single snowflake in a blizzard. These morons in the city government couldn’t find water in a flood. The FBI needs to investigate this city. Dirty politics.
Some cities have an 'ethics' officer, but I've also seen cities over rule their advice of unethical behavior, or outright fire him. That's just the way it works in many cities. These 'professionals' are just political window dressing, if the city wants to be corrupt, it's on the councilors (if caught) not these auditors, lawyers or ethics watchdogs. The politicians just render them useless, by choice because they can.
Almost in all states, it's always missing taxpayers' money 😊
Fed.money, they/the state may want to know TOO!now that JODY... again, uncovers another injustice, in the open/ behind closed doors!
sellout politicians, to spiteful inspectors!
Hemp is weed idiots! JODY'S there!
Like Henry Fonda!
Inside imbesalment
That attorney needs to be disbarred. He’s getting paid to give legal advice, but it’s the reporter that brought up the violations of the law. Another corrupt attorney exposed accepting tax dollars to do nothing
Likewise, the attorney stated to one of the city council members "That's not to say the city council can't go into executive session, but if it intends to do so, it needs to state one of the reasons that gives them the right to do that." Thereby, the attorney is encouraging illegal misconduct on the part of the city council. He needs to explicitly state that they CANNOT go into executive session EXCEPT for one of the reasons that gives them the right to do that, not that they must merely STATE the reason that gives them the right to do that. You can't just state a reason, go into executive session, and then talk about things that SHOULD be open to the public. The law is very clear. The entire city council should be revoked immediately, held in contempt, and should face legal penalties for violating city law. The lawyer should be disbarred and prevented from EVER practicing law again. You can't just say "Do what ever you want, but lie and make sure the lie meets statutes." That's not how the law is intended to work.
Now THAT’S real journalism. Great work by Jody and this news team. See it through! Where is the state’s attorney general? Accountability!
Our AG is in the pocket of our Governor. Welcome to normal SC politics!
If they broke the law they should be charged end of discussion
Cops are too busy handing out headlight tickets.
I saw two hands go up and the mayor calls "ayes have it" without scanning the gang or asking for nays. He must be a savant, reading their minds like that. My thinks they had that planned up at some point before the vote took place.
Cop's are too busy breaking the law and beating their wives
@@seraphcreed840
@@seraphcreed840 you are exactly right !!
Took the words right out of mouth.
They like to give themselves a raise every time they see a pile of our money 😢 sitting around I think Milhouse ought to be investigated as well in my opinion and the council and the mayor😢😢😢😢😢😢
😢😢😢 They've taken all the money stuck it in their pockets
When council is hiding information from the public. That is concerning
City councils hide alot from the public
Actionable.
They do it all the time in every town. No on can hold them accountable.
@@TatiaunaGorbachev
But they got Caught here!
@@TatiaunaGorbachevwe could hold them accountable. We just don't.
Now how do all these disenfranchised taxpayers bring charges against the corrupt council?
they shouldnt have to, they have already been proven to be guilty of it and it is a jail-able offense. with it being federal money it is a felony for the money being missing and anyone with access to it will be held accountable
Call the Feds and demand an audit
If they don’t know where Federal money went I
It also shows that the Feds aren’t using proper oversight of our money.
The auditors don’t want to lose their contract with the city. Where is the independent??
Can't somebody simply call the State House to find out how much covid relief money went to Bennettsville, SC? That would be a start. Probably in the millions!
Office of Management and Budget. OMB, FOIA request. They must respond.
Jody Barr actually is a REAL journalist doing REAL journalism. He doesn't parrot the lines he's fed by government, he investigates and reports. We need a Jody Barr in EVERY city and state.
Not to mention how full of knowledge he is. To immediately object upon something he knew was not allowed. If I was in that audience, I would have just assumed they weren't doing anything wrong. Knowledge is power. Knowledge of laws and rights are so very important. It's what is ultimately the proof of how important it is to have this kind of knowledge about what you're investigating. TOP NOTCH.
I’m not even an American, I live in Australia, I just appreciate this reporters work not matter the subject.
Most would be fired immediately
That's been missing for nearly 25 years....
Jody Barr was in Austin on the NBC channel. Besides being a journalist he’s an excellent investigator. If you see him it would behove you to know your shit.
Every city needs a Jody Barr.
And every city needs a news channel that isn’t swayed by the government.
EXACTLY!
Or Rob Walczak out of Detroit he’s another good one
”” Hall of Shame “” Check him out also
Yes, we need to protect Journalism.
Government hell,owners of the news outlets are who are controlling what’s said (Fox News)
Body language tells you so much more than the mouth. Guilty, guilty, guilty!!!
Time for these corrupt officials to go to jail.
The average citizen gets arrested for stealing $10, *but nobody gets held accountable for THOUSANDS of taxpayer dollars "going missing"?*
That's the thing. When it is just normal people, they go to jail. When it is a company or a government, all of a sudden it is this conceptual entity and conduct by the people involved with it are somehow just ignored.
"If you owe the bank 100 dollars that's your problem, if you owe the bank 100 million dollars that's the bank's problem."
Sadly, not just thousands, but several millions unaccounted for! Folks…, it’s who you vote in office! These civil servants forget they work for the people!
Dudes get killed for selling loose cigarettes, ffs. The Justice System is in worse shape than Congress.
VOTE EVERY ONE OF THESE DIRTY politicians out.
No transparency with OUR TAX DOLLARS
@RightToFreedomGirl, It might warrant criminal charges!!
And replace them with new faces?
@@waynewilliams8554 💯 agree 👍 Brother
What? Vote them out to bring in a whole new set of corrupt politicians? The problem isn't just the people it's that the whole system is trash and rotten to the core.
And they just use a fake mail in the ballot, or change the vote in the machine, to counter your vote
The entire city council must be removed and charged for their crimes!
Simple solution...stop paying your taxes to incompetent criminals
Great idea. Then you get to go to jail run by the dysfunctional persons in power!
Play stupid games, win, stupid prizes!
@@solarwind907 haven't you heard...they're letting people out of jail that have committed violent crimes. I don't think they're letting them out to make room for people committing non-violent ones.
If they want socialism then you won't pay taxes anyway....get a head start
Better idea, VOTE COUNCIL OUT ASAP
@@nuzjunkie1 voting them out after they've had an entire term to do whatever you want them out for and all the damage done is unacceptable. Allowing them to protect their own incompetence while doing it is insane, yet there it is.
Oh yes, it sounds so simple. No consequences?
The idiot lawyer kept his mouth shut until Jody mentioned "THE LAW!"
Dude, you have one Job!
City lawyers are not police men, they 'advise' when asked. If the reporter didn't ask the right question the city lawyer would have remained silent. That's what he is paid for, not to police criminal councils. He'd just get fired and replaced if he did.
I imagine the lawyer wouldn't mind a little issue, as he can then charge the city more or call in his friends to charge the city for help
@@mikew.to1because doing what is right and what is legal are two different things.
He's not there for YOU.....
SC attorney general need to investigate these corrupt thugs.
He’s a part of the problem?
Not sure you can trust SLED.
They've looked pretty corrupt lately.
S.C. just found a billion dollars in a bank account that they don't know where it came from or what it was for... So good luck on the state auditing them...
Probably busy with nearly 2 billion in funds that are unaccounted for on the state level.
SLED....CALL YOUR OFFICE!!
When people act shady bc you’re “looking and asking”, you are looking in the right place.
Been a long time since I’ve seen real journalism. Great work.
Those 16 minutes were spent trying to figure out how to talk about the budget fraud without letting the reporter know.
wink wink nudge nudge say no more!
Getting their stories all on the same page
More than likely just the attorney explaining to them why they can’t go into executive session on this topic.
Like I've said before, every state, county, city and town needs more journalists like Jody. So many journalists these days turn their backs on the truth and cover complete BS lies. It's ridiculous
❤
Criminals, all of them. Step down or be arrested.
Step down and be arrested.
Also, Jody, I applaud you for being very well prepared for this. I feel like this level of journalism is lacking in the industry.
Its a lot more than 1 million dollars. Its more like 40 million that has just disappeared.
How can money just disappear you don't pay your taxes by one penny and they're coming after you how could they lose millions of dollars
@@fishydubsfishing6516Because they funneled it out for personal expenses. No different than the Katrina funds around my neck of the woods. Eventually the government will want a return on their investment. That or Jody Barr will bring them down.
Damn, where's the money?
No it’s 80 million dollars that appeared out of nowhere and they can’t figure out where it came from and then money missing from another account. Really like keystone cops
@@fishydubsfishing6516oh it isn't lost its hidden and then when it's not found its transferred to pockets
Bunch of crooks. Call the attorney general. Demand an audit and file a lawsuit. Get em Jody
The attorney General is a dirty Democrat too
Faces of corruption.
Mighty Man of Righteousness!
it's called corruption
No, it’s called American!
This happened everywhere! They put it in their pockets
Small towns are the worst 😔
Man, this Jody Barr is a force. No bluster, no dramatics, he just brings the truth and lets the guilty scatter like roaches scrambling from the light.
@JodyBarrInvestigates this video popped up in my feed. I’m not a local resident but wanted to commend you on your excellent reporting. Local government is where we as citizens really need to focus and put in some effort. It impacts us the most and it impacts us directly. I love that you’re bringing issues to light for this community. Well done, sir!
When you fear integrity and accountability, you are NOT the good guys.
But they trotted out the show pony "auditor" that gave a glowing report of their accounting...can you say " Good Ole Boy " network is alive and well in Bennetsville...PS the town lawyer seemed a bit timid, scared,really to do his job...
Corrupt from the bottom to the top!
Bravo sir! That is journalism. You have given me hope. Thank you
Yes!!! Love Jody and his actually investigative reporting!!
All their bank accounts should subpoenaed for review.
Time to FOIA those bank statements!!!
What are people going to do about this?! Where’s the accountability?!
FBI needs to open an investigation into every member of this council
Really? The FBI is even more corrupt!
It looks like someone should start looking into Robert Milhous CPA and why his audit firm did not catch the missing money. Especially because he has been doing the audit for 10 years.
"allegations of criminal misconduct" The council wanted to meet in private because they were discussing their own criminal misconduct. Essentially they were breaking the law to hide the fact that they mishandled federal money (stole?) which is a crime.
They ALL should be relieved from office
Good job, Jody Barr! You know better than the city attorney! We need more like you to keep an eye out on the government, big and small!
You’re a good journalist, I wish you were still in central Texas exposing the corruption.
trying to hide this kind of thing should be a felony
It is... unless you are an official
"Illegal for thee, not for me" - US Governments
It is.
Jody Barr doesn't suffer fools, and he is relentless. Great journalist.
Time to review the Pensions of all municipal employees.
Somebody is accountable!
Is stolen and lost the same thing? Disgusting and the world is watching now! Thank you again Jody❤💙
When it comes to politicians it is the same thing ! I don’t know how that money ended up in my pocket !
It is not these government thieves money!! TAX PAYERS MONEY!! Stealing needs to stop!! People worked hard for that money!!
Jody Barr,you are a great reporter .
You need a fair share of guts and brains to do what Mr. Jodi Barr does. Love his work
Good on this guy. I'm glad someone hasn't forgotten all the unaccounted money. This is a nationwide problem.
the city attorney should have already known that. He needs removed either way
The attorney needs to resign & not be a party to the wrong doing (let the crooks go it alone). If the attorney doesn't resign he is a crook also.
Corruption in so many counties across the country... Why take a position like that without being for the people?!
It like they don't have to answer to anyone after they been elected
Good for the reporter for calling them out!
The fact that they met even after being told by their attorney that it was improper shows that they have a lot to hide
Well they couldn't act or look anymore guilty of wrong doing if they tried.
A gaggle of criminals.
Way to go Mr. Barr!
We MUST find additional Reporters that have the ability & integrity to keep the public informed of our Elected Officials shenanigans as these so called "Public Servants" seem hell bent to hide what they are doing or in some cases Not Doing
Thank You Jodi Barr for all you and your team are doing on shining a light where it needs to be shown
He's amazing. Many great qualities of exactly what you'd want in your own towns news agency. (and he's kinda handsome too. 😊)
All of them should be arrested
Corruption at its fin3st.😮
Criminals are everywhere
Did you see how wide eye the city attorney got when called out on the secret meeting? I thought his eyeballs 👀 were going to fall out!!
Maybe he was just scared the cameraman was about to fall over on him. Did you see how much that camera shot was swaying?
Typical corrupt politicians...vote em out
Thank you, Jody!
You're truly doing great work and I appreciate you!
Whatever Jody’s getting paid, it’s not enough!
Yes! This!!
Yet, another great story from Jody Barr!!!
You telling me politicians are stealing our tax money? Color me shocked!
The sorry ass city attorney had no clue what the laws were - and he is advising them about the law? We are screwed
The investigative reporter who worked this is why we still need real journalism. Without them, the public would be clueless about what their government does.
1979, my Dad told me, get a gvt job because they overpay. And you get full benefits, retirement, and don't need to read or write English.
Why don’t these public officials ever have to pay for breaking the law? We must change this!
Maybe Councilors should look in their own back pockets.
“Improper use” No Mr. City attorney, that’s ILLEGAL!! Go get ‘em Jody!! First class reporting as always.
The auditor is in BIG trouble. The OMB out in place article A-133 to require audit and a prescribed audit plan. His license is in the wind!!!
I have a feeling he cares little about his license.
Does the auditor really want the “audit” to be his capstone of his career? His role isn’t to give the council a clean bill of health when it clearly isn’t warranted. State officials need to be apprised.
Theyll allow him to "resign" with a huge payout
Liars cheats, and thieves!!!!
There needs to be more Jody Barr's and LESS DEI.
What the hell does DEI have to do with this? Not a Damn thing so stop
Jodi Barr is a Marvel Hero! Keep it up.
Their attorney should be disbarred for what he just did
Sounds like the public needs to boot these people out the door.
That should be grounds for every single one of them, including their attorney & external auditor, need to be fired, audited, prosecuted & locked up for all of their crimes related to the open records act, miss appropriations of funds & I would be willing to bet outright theft.
They wouldn’t have tried to do this in secret if they weren’t trying to hide their incompetence & crimes while in office.
This is the people’s money that’s been stolen & wasted, these criminals must be held accountable for their actions
People are going to start pushing back, hard.
funny how there's almost never accountability for elected officials willfully violating the law.
Exactly. Look at all the crimes D.Trump gets away with.
Dukes and Earls. Lords and Ladies are still around. They simply changed their titles of nobility. Cracks me up that most don't see that. That's reality. Republics, democracies, bla, bla. Those things are not real.
Sue them. Put them under oath in depositions.
It has been my recent observation that when Mr. Jody Barr is on you're case! The road will rise to meet your face!
Ten bucks says that no prosecutor will hold them accountable.
I cant afford to lose 10 bucks right now
"It needs to state one of the reasons that gives them the right to do that." In other words, they have to lie.
I like how they all act like they don't know where the money is.
Not any democratic city can account for all that money
Jodi Barr is the best investigative reporter in the country.
Great work Jody. Informative and transparent
I don't live anywhere near the Queen City and I follow Jody's work. Hands down the best investigative reporter in the country.
The fact the attorney would have let it happen had Jody not spoken up means he needs to be fired.
Stay on this story, Jody. There’s some shenanigans going on and the council needs to be held accountable. The attorney, who I suspect hasn’t yet blinked, needs to inform them of the ramifications of their illegality.
THANKS JODI..
YOU ROCK BROTHER..🪖🫡👍
They spent 16 minutes trying to come up with an issue that would allow an executive session. Government in the US is rotten to the core from the top to the bottom. Go get'em Jody! Our local officials caused a stink when it was discovered that the council members where discussing city business among themselve by phone and email. In effect doing city business without all members present, they came out and groveled and wrung their hands and and apologized profusely and absolutely nothing happened regarding their violating the Brown act.
I love that he says basically bigger. All this money and now we're taking steps to figure out how someone hide or spent it. The accouning firm, city lawyer and others need independent investigation...Blessings
Jody Barr should come here to Dolton Illinois and investigate our corrupt mayor
The FBI is already taking care of that lol.