Attention, Juan Williams – don’t presume that you speak for Eddie Slaughter when you accuse Newt Gingrich of dog whistle racism for his statements on food stamps and America’s work ethic. Readers of BigGovernment will remember Eddie Slaughter as the South Georgia farmer was gone on record talking about Pigford fraud and how his Congressman, representative Sanford Bishop tried to cover up that fraud. Mr. Slaughter had personal and political dealings with Newt Gingrich years ago that run very counter to the narrative that Juan Williams was trying to push during the recent presidential debate on Fox, as revealed in an interview I did with  Mr. Slaughter this morning.

Mr. Slaughter originally told me about his positive dealings with Gingrich about a year ago, when he both spoke at a press conference at CPAC about the Pigford settlement. Before Pigford became a vast fraud scheme benefiting attorneys and the political class, it began as a legitimate effort by a small group of black farmers to fight discrimination at the hands of the federal government. The issue for the farmers was that the statute of limitations was very short and because the civil rights office of the USDA had been shut down, there had been no real way to report any discrimination for close to 15 years. In order for the bona fide black farmers like Mr. Slaughter to file suit, they would need an extension of the statute limitations.

The black farmers approachedNewt Gingrich to get support. Now, according to the Juan Williams school of thought, Speaker Gingrich was Republican and therefore a presumed racist. Mr. Slaughter told a very different story however. When asked directly about in my interview he said, “I feel that he was more sincere than most in Washington DC.” And “I think he was more fair than most people running for office, from what know about him personally.”

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Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Rep. Steve King (R-IA), and farmer Eddie Slaughter at the press conference in Washington, DC presenting newly discovered evidence showing fraud and corruption in the Pigford settlement:

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At a press conference at CPAC featuring Rep. Michele Bachmann, Rep. Steve King and Andrew Breitbart, black farmer Eddie Slaughter tells his impassioned story about how the Pigford settlement has actually hurt the original and actual victims of discrimination at the hands of the USDA.

How easy is it to file a false claim in the Pigford settlement?

Have people been signing up for Pigford under the belief that it’s reparations for slavery?

Was the settlement intended to help black farmers hijacked to benefit people who had never farmed?

There has been conjecture and circumstantial evidence about these controversial questions surrounding the Pigford “Black Farmers” settlement for years but a complicit mainstream media’s lack of serious investigation has meant there has been little ‘hard evidence’ to prove or disprove these allegations.

Until now.

On Thursday, February 10th, at CPAC, I will release to the press, bloggers and citizen journalists two hours of complete, unedited audio of a behind-closed-doors meeting directly related to the Pigford case that show direct evidence of fraud and abuse in the settlement. This audio will be released with a set of notes making it easier to navigate and find specific sections and statements.

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From Georgia’s Albany Herald:

In April of 1999, Judge Paul L. Friedman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia approved a settlement agreement and consent decree in Pigford v. Glickman, a class action discrimination suit between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and black farmers.

The suit claimed that the agency had discriminated against black farmers on the basis of race and failed to investigate or properly respond to complaints from 1983 to 1997.

According to a report from the Congressional Research Service, “For many years, black farmers had complained that they were not receiving fair treatment when they applied to local county committees (which make the decisions) for farm loans or assistance. These farmers alleged that they were being denied USDA farm loans or forced to wait longer for loan approval than were non-minority farmers.”

“Many black farmers contended that they were facing foreclosure and financial ruin because the USDA denied them timely loans and debt restructuring.”

To date, more than $1 billion has been paid in $50,000 increments to more than 13,000 black farmers. The rub is, according to Buena Vista farmer Eddie Slaughter, many of the recipients of the settlement money are not farmers at all.

According to a July 2010 report by Kate Pickert in Time.com, the largest single settlement under Pigford went to Shirley and Charles Sherrod, who were awarded $150,000 each for pain and suffering and $13 million for the defunct New Communities Inc. farms.

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For weeks now, our readers have asked a consistent question about Pigford — “Can I get a quick, clear explanation about what Pigford is and why it’s important so I can explain this to friends who don’t want to read a 30 page report?”

Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA) has given us an answer.

Here’s the quick pitch — Sanford Bishop is the congressman who admitted he knew about massive fraud in the Pigford settlement that was supposed to help black farmers but when confronted by farmers hurt by the Pigford settlement, he says it’s not his job to do anything about fraud.

Why is Pigford important? Because it’s a perfect example of everything conservatives and libertarians — and, hopefully, honest liberals — hate about government spending programs that cost billions, create fraud and waste, promote vote buying and don’t even solve the problem they set out to fix.

And it’s been covered up and falsely promoted by the media for over a decade now. Repeat after me: The actual black farmers were intentionally hurt more by Pigford.

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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 and allegations of fraud, the congressman told them that an investigation of those issues might “shut down” the settlement.

Here are the clips I posted with farmers Eddie Slaughter and Willie Head.

Within a couple of days, Congressman Bishop responded to three different newspapers. His story was different each time.

• Rep. Bishop told the Albany Herald that he was aware of the fraud but it wasn’t his job to police it. This admission is significant because USDA Sec. Tom Vilsack has claimed that there was almost no fraud in Pigford.
• When speaking to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Rep. Bishop was suddenly stunned and perplexed and suggested that the farmers had been drinking.
• Most recently, Rep. Bishop told the Columbus Ledger-Inquirer him that he remembered the meeting, repeated that he wasn’t responsible for monitoring fraud, suggested that there were antifraud provisions in the second Pigford bill and again insulted the farmers calling them disgruntled and irresponsible.

In order to clear up some of the issues raised by Congressman Bishop and these newspapers, tonight I recorded a phone interview with Willie Head.

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A quick Google search will tell you that Congressman Sanford Bishop (D-GA) knows all about Pigford fraud, confirming what black farmers have said on video.

And today I spoke to a third farmer who was also at the same meeting with Willie Head and Eddie Slaughter who confirmed their statement that Sanford Bishop was informed about fraud and lawyer fees but didn’t want an investigation into Pigford because it would “shut it down.”

But Bishop says there are anti-fraud provisions in Pigford II that will provide a safeguard against abuse. Fair enough. I just want to throw this question out there, however:

Would the anti-fraud provisions be effective if there are people out there who are giving classes that teach in step-by-step detail how to commit perjury in the Pigford case and not get caught?

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 fact.  To this day, President Obama’s Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack maintains there are, at most, 10 cases of fraud. Big Government showed two videos of black farmers alleging that Congressman Sanford Bishop not only knew about the fraud in Pigford I, but also instructed the black farmers who brought the information to light to keep quiet as long as “the money was flowing.”

It’s important to note that Eddie Slaughter is not just a black farmer, he is the Vice President of one of the largest black farmer advocacy groups in America, the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association.

After seeing the BigGovernment.com interview, Congressman Bishop, clearly upset with the video revelation, made the following admission to his local paper, the Albany Herald yesterday:

“Yes, I am aware that there is fraud in the program, that’s why anti-fraud provisions were written into the settlement,” Bishop said Thursday morning “My job was to help secure funding for constituents who had been discriminated against by the USDA. It’s not my job to monitor fraud in the program. I can’t assume responsibility for fraud. You can’t lay that at my feet.”

“This is ridiculous. It’s not my job to determine who is a qualified claimant or not, or who gets paid or who doesn’t get paid.”

“I’ve worked with Eddie Slaughter for more than 15 years.”

We now have an admission from a prominent member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and a co-sponsor of Pigford legislation, that he was not only told by a black farmer that the Pigford I payout process was “rife with fraud,” but also that as a member of Congress there was nothing he could do about it. (more…)

NOTE : Compare Rep. Sanford Bishop’s (D-Ga) statements in this article (published at 6pm) with what he said in this Albany Herald article that was published at 11:30am. In the earlier article Bishop says he was aware of the fraud and it wasn’t his job to police it. By the time he talked to the Atlanta reporter later in the day, he suddenly has no idea at all what the farmers are talking about and insults them by implying that they were drunkards.

From Bob Keefe at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

WASHINGTON — Democratic U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop called Internet insinuations that he was somehow involved in fraud surrounding last year’s settlement between the government and African-American farmers “one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard.”

Videos featuring two Georgia farmers that are being circulated on the Web by conservative commentator Andrew Breitbart hint that Bishop, of Albany, may have known about possible fraud in last year’s so-called “Pigford” settlement between the government and black farmers who claimed that a Department of Agriculture farm loan program discriminated against them.

“I don’t know what they were imbibing,” Bishop said of the two farmers after watching the videos. “I’m just perplexed and shocked.” (more…)

**UPDATED**

The videos that Big Government broke yesterday showing farmers Eddie Slaughter and Willie Head saying that congressman Sanford Bishop knew about fraud in the Pigford Settlement appear to have broken Congressman Bishop. An angry Bishop called the local paper in Albany, Georgia and far from denying the claims that he know about fraud and did nothing about it, he readily admits it.

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From the Albany Herald in Albany, Georgia:

An internet video surfaced Tuesday in which a black farmer, Eddie Slaughter of Buena Vista, accuses Rep. Sanford Bishop Jr., D-Albany, of being aware of fraud in the $1 billion Pigford farm discrimination settlement. That prompted a sharp and angry reaction from the congressman.

“Yes, I am aware that there is fraud in the program, that’s why anti-fraud provisions were written into the settlement,” Bishop said Thursday morning “My job was to help secure funding for constituents who had been discriminated against by the USDA. It’s not my job to monitor fraud in the program. I can’t assume responsibility for fraud. You can’t lay that at my feet.

“This is ridiculous. It’s not my job to determine who is a qualified claimant or not, or who gets paid or who doesn’t get paid.”

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A few months ago a Big Government stringer confronted Rep. Sanford Bishop on Capitol Hill before the House voted to fund Pigford II – adding another $1.25 billion to the Pigford pot.

We asked if Rep. Bishop, a longtime advocate of the Pigford settlement, thinks it’s appropriate that there be an investigation into credible reports of widespread fraud and corruption in the Pigford Settlement:

Rep. Bishop’s non-response before the vote is especially illuminating now that we have heard from discriminated-against-by-the-USDA black farmers and Pigford whistleblowers Eddie Slaughter and Willie Head.  Earlier today we posted video of Mr. Slaughter describing how Rep. Bishop advised him not to mention Pigford fraud because “they’ll shut this thing down” and a clip of Mr. Head confirming Bishop was aware of fraud allegations but wouldn’t investigate them.

Below is Congressman Bishop’s February 2010 statement upon the Justice Department’s announcement another settlement in Pigford II:

Today is an historic day for African American farmers who once found themselves victims of an unjust system. While the Administration and Congress are moving forward to bring a brighter future to people in rural America, we must also do everything possible to correct past injustices. Today’s decision by the Justice Department and the White House to award an additional $1.25 billion to settle all claims stemming from the original Pigford litigation is a significant milestone.

In Georgia, farming is a proud tradition and I am honored to represent farmers of every color and background. Therefore, I look forward to working with my colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee to expedite the funds for this settlement and to bring closure to those who suffered from the USDA’s discriminatory practices.

Do note that the Big Government report shows that Pigford I and II is not just wrought with fraud, but it has hurt the actual farmers who were used by greedy class action lawyers and craven politicians to enrich themselves monetarily and electorally. (more…)

In this video clip, Willie Head discusses his dealing with Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA) including the meeting that Eddie Slaughter describes in an earlier post.

The hours of interviews I’ve done with the key people involved in the Pigford settlement are a treasure trove of information about what really happened in this multi-billion dollar debacle. Because of the holidays and then the tragic shooting in Tuscon, I wanted to hold off on releasing details about some of the major news that we’re been able to uncover — but at the risk of creating PiggieFatigue, here’s part one of a serious allegation that a U.S. Congressman knowingly was complicit in covering up fraud.

In this bombshell video clip, Georgia farmer Eddie Slaughter alleges that he told his congressman, Congressional Black Caucus member Sanford Bishop, about fraud in Pigford on multiple occasions and that Bishop responded that Slaughter should be quiet because “they’ll shut this thing down.”

This isn’t an isolated incident with Congressman Bishop.

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The Congressional Black Caucus played completely one-sided partisan politics against the black farmers of America and shot down a Republican proposal that would have aided the real farmers. Listen to farmers Eddie Slaughter and Willie Head explain the betrayal of the CBC.

Pigford v. Glickman was supposed to help black farmers discriminated against by the USDA. Instead, it’s diverted hundreds of millions of dollars to people who never farmed and diverted attention away from the plight of real farmers.

The people helping to perpetuate the Pigford fraud have myriad motivations. There’s the lure of proximity to a multibillion-dollar pile of cash. There are complex ideological reasons related to racial injustice both real and perceived. There are political motivations that balance bringing a stealth stimulus back home to constituents with a lockstep party loyalty. There are personal rivalries and a clinging desire to maintain relevance and minor celebrity. Some mix of all of these motivations exists in many of the personalities surrounding Pigford but whatever the motive, the most aggrieved victims are the black farmers themselves.

But don’t take my word for it. Just ask black farmers like Willie Head and Eddie Slaughter. These Georgia farmers were among the first few hundred to file claims in Pigford before the settlement was hijacked by tens of thousands of people who claimed to have “attempted to farm” and received $50,000 checks using the intentionally low bar of proof that was required.

I’ve been traveling around the South the past month interviewing people close to the Pigford settlement and it’s clear to me that the people who this fraud has hurt the most are hard-working Americans like Eddie and Willie. They have been pressured not to talk about the fraud, in some cases by members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Here, Willie Head discusses how improper claims in the Pigford settlement have hurt him:

There’s proof that Pigford is being sold as reparations behind closed doors while the defenders of the current settlement call critics racist for questioning Pigford.

Eddie Slaughter discusses how members of the Congressional Black Caucus see the Pigford claims as reparations.