Senate Bill 2847 would have removed the ability of the auditor’s office to investigate nonprofits handling less than $10 million of government money and sue people for nonpayment of demands issued by the auditor.
During a Stennis Capitol Press Forum on Monday, White said the bill was motivated by politics and not a desire to improve state government.
“In my opinion, it was a bill that was written because some folks don't like me doing my job,” White said. … “They get uncomfortable when we identify fraud, waste or abuse, particularly if it's a program that they care about or it involves a friend of theirs or a powerful constituent of theirs. That's what they don't like.”
White says if the Senate bill had been law during his office’s investigations related to the state’s sprawling welfare funds scandal, much of the misspending wouldn’t have been uncovered.
Sen. David Parker, R-Olive Branch, the bill's author, advanced it out of a committee he chairs, but then had the legislation tabled in the Senate last week, greatly limiting its chance of passing.
Parker maintains he filed the bill because of concerns he has over how White handled the arrest of a former DeSoto County alderman last year.
“A rush to arrest someone, publicize a mugshot and hold a press conference before all facts are gathered can do serious harm,” Parker said.
Parker claims he moved to table the bill to spare his colleagues a difficult vote and because of legal threats he’s received over speaking about the alderman’s case.
White also says seeing Mississippians reach out to their senator to voice opposition to the bill has increased his motivation to run for governor in 2027. He and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, the leader of the Senate, are seen as potential front-runners for the Republican nomination in the governor’s race.
