Le maire de Jackson refuse de répondre aux questions sur les rapports de financement de campagne non déposés, invoquant une enquête sur un scandale de corruption

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Nearly two weeks after federal charges came down against Jackson’s mayor, the Hinds County district attorney, and a former city council president, records WLBT has been trying to get for weeks could be part of the scandal, too.

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba told 3 On Your Side today that our reporting from last week — where we found the mayor had not filed his campaign finance reports for three years — was related to the federal bribery case, and as such, he couldn’t talk about it.

Campaign finance records are a key part of the federal case against Lumumba because it would only further show that he received $50,000 in alleged contributions to influence a future real estate deal.

The mayor’s statement during his Monday press briefing came as a bit of a surprise because the annual reports he never filed would have been well before Lumumba ever allegedly received the money.

What he said gives a glimpse into other documents the feds could be trying to obtain, however.

WLBT asked about the records that had not been filed for three years and the state law that states elected officials who are not up to date with their campaign finance report filings shall not be paid any salary.

“That is associated with this [bribery] case, so I will not speak to it. I’ve spoken to it before, and I would leave my question, my response to what it was,” Lumumba said.

City records show Lumumba’s annual salary is $120,000.

In October, Lumumba admitted not filing a campaign finance report and said it wasn’t uncustomary for his campaign to do so.

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