Wednesday, March 17, 2004

Mississippi's Haley Barbour -- governor, piggish fat-cat lobbyist, friend to racists, and, possibly, future GOP presidential candidate -- is welching on a promise and stiffing people:

The Gulfport Branch NAACP has inquired whether Gov. Haley Barbour's campaign will repay the city for President Bush's November visit.

...Barbour's campaign pledged to foot the bill for the political event in an article published in The Sun Herald two days after the presidential visit.

"Haley's campaign is paying the cost of the president's visit to the Coast," said Henry Barbour, Haley Barbour's nephew and campaign spokesman. "The campaign has not yet received the bill. When we receive the bill, we will be glad to pay it."

Shortly after Bush's visit, the city billed Barbour's campaign $20,275 for security costs. The bill has not been paid. Harrison County billed the campaign nearly $2,800. It was unclear Monday whether the county bill had been paid.

..."Didn't Haley Barbour raise $11 million for his campaign?" [Gulfport city council member Chuck]Teston said. "We're in a financial crisis in Gulfport. I think it's only fair that (Barbour's campaign) pay the money back."

According to campaign finance reports, Barbour's campaign raised nearly $11 million in 2003....


--The Sun-Herald (South Mississippi)

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