+Controversies | 132 days ago

Barbour ‘At Peace’ with Pardons, but Scandal Rages On

By Jay Newton-Small

Jackson, Mississippi

Former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour on Friday defended more than 200 pardons he issued during his final days in office, 41 of which he gave to convicted murderers, sex offenders and child molesters.

“Mississippians are mostly Christians,” Barbour said in a lengthy statement, which he read at a Jackson press conference on Friday. “Christianity teaches us forgiveness and second chances. I believe in second chances, and I try hard to be forgiving. The historic power of gubernatorial clemency by the Governor to pardon felons is rooted in the Christian idea of giving second chances. I’m not saying I’ll be perfect, that no one who received clemency will ever do anything wrong. I’m not infallible, and no one else is. But I’m very comfortable and totally at peace with these pardons, especially of the Mansion inmates.”

+Controversies | 133 days ago

Haley Barbour’s Pardons: Why No One in Mississippi Is in a Forgiving Mood

By Jay Newton-Small
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Jackson, Mississippi The red, white and blue bunting is still up, whipping in the winter winds on the temporary platform in front of Mississippi’s state capitol. Two days ago, a new governor was sworn in here. But the satellite trucks that still ring the capitol aren’t interested in the new executive; they’re still focused on [...]

+Primaries | 396 days ago

Haley Barbour Will Not Run for President

By Michael Scherer
Jonathan Ernst / Reuters

It’s official. Haley Barbour, after months of serious exploration, including the hiring of staff and winning endorsements, has announced he won’t compete in the 2012 presidential race. That sound you hear is an exhale of disappointment from the dozens of investigative reporters across the Northeast corridor who had been itching to do stories on the [...]

+Republican Party | 420 days ago

Gambling on 2012: How the GOP Hopefuls Handle Casino Cash

By Michael Scherer

The Center for Public Integrity came out swinging Fridaywith a blistering story alleging that “Newt Gingrich is straddling a fine line” by taking millions of dollars from a Las Vegas Casino boss, while at the same time trying to court evangelical voters for the 2012 nomination. But I would not put all my chips on [...]

+2012 Election | 428 days ago

On Global Warming, No Clear Skies For Most 2012 GOP Contenders

By Michael Scherer

When news broke of Jon Huntsman’s serious consideration of a run for president last month, several conservative pundits, including the Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin, dismissed the former Utah governor’s chances by pointing to his moderate record on global warming, which they predicted would play poorly among the GOP’s conservative base. Indeed, Huntsman was a vocal [...]

+Uncategorized | 429 days ago

Haley Barbour Flew State Plane To Deliver Cost Cutting Message To CPAC, Fox News

By Michael Scherer

On Feb. 11, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, his wife and three aides flew in a luxury jet to Washington for a weekend of politicking, including an appearance on Fox News Sunday and a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference. “Our problem is not that we tax too little,” Barbour told the gathering. “It’s that [...]

+2012 Election | 431 days ago

Nevermind Tim Pawlenty’s Announcement Of A Future Announcement, Let’s Look At The 2012 GOP Maps

By Michael Scherer

At 3 p.m. today, anyone with a working Facebook account can get exclusive access to an announcement that has already been announced, setting the stage for further announcements about Tim Pawlenty’s desire to be President of the United States. Such is the absurdity of modern presidential politics that candidates create news events out of incremental [...]

+Republican Party | 465 days ago

Haley Barbour Denies Supporting “Amnesty,” But Not His Lobbying Work For Mexico On Immigration

By Michael Scherer

Image from a Nov. 30, 2002 Justice Department filing by Barbour Griffith & Rogers   In statements Tuesday morning, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour denied supporting “amnesty” for undocumented immigrants, and his former lobbying firm, Barbour Griffith & Rogers, declared that it had “never advocated amnesty for illegal aliens.” But neither Barbour nor his firm denied [...]

+Republican Party | 467 days ago

What Haley Barbour Didn’t Tell Fox News: He Lobbied For Mexico On “Amnesty”

By Michael Scherer

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour made the case Sunday on Fox News that his career as a high-powered federal lobbyist for domestic corporations and foreign governments would be an asset if he ran for President in 2012. I can tell you what we did when I was there. We represented Switzerland. We represented Macedonia because the [...]

+Uncategorized | 521 days ago

Re: Re: Barbour’s Baggage

By Adam Sorensen

After his comments sucked up the oxygen of a slow news day, Barbour himself has decided to respond: My point was my town rejected the Ku Klux Klan, but nobody should construe that to mean I think the town leadership were saints, either. Their vehicle, called the ‘Citizens Council,’ is totally indefensible, as is segregation. [...]