JACKSON, Mississippi — Mississippi's Republican attorney general sued the Republican state auditor Thursday, saying the auditor is trying to usurp his authority to recover interest on welfare money misspent by retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre, money that was supposed to help some of the poorest people in America
Attorney General Lynn Fitch's lawsuit says bringing litigation over improperly spent money is the responsibility of the attorney general's office, not the auditor.
Both the attorney general and auditor are elected statewide and the lawsuit is the latest rift between them.
Weeks ago, Fitch's office said it would no longer represent auditor Shad White in a defamation lawsuit Favre filed last year. That change in representation came after the announcement that White is writing a book, to be published later this year, about his investigation into the misspending of welfare funds.
“Our position as lawyers demands the highest level of respect for the law and the practice of law,” Fitch said in a statement after suing White on Thursday. “When we file a complaint with the court in our official capacity, it is not for our own amusement or political benefit, it is on behalf of the people and bears the burden that has repercussions for the entire people's government.”
He said White's previous response to Favre's defamation lawsuit “does not reflect anything of this severity.”
White demanded that Favre repay the state nearly $730,000. The Pro Football Hall of Famer lives in Mississippi. White said Favre improperly received $1.1 million in welfare funds for speaking engagements and that he has only repaid some of it.
In a statement to The Associated Press on Thursday, White criticized Fitch's lawsuit against him and said he will fight in court for the right to recover as much public money as possible.
“Fitch didn't sue Favre for everything he owes, and then filed a lawsuit to prevent me from trying to recover the money, too,” White said. “Just let me do the job, even if you don't.”
Fitch's office said in Thursday's lawsuit that the attorney general has never declined to pursue additional litigation to try to get Favre to pay interest on the misspent money.
White said in 2020 that Favre received speaking fees from a nonprofit that spent welfare money with approval from the Mississippi Department of Human Services. Money from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program would go toward a volleyball stadium at the University of Southern Mississippi. Favre agreed to lead fundraising efforts for the facilities at her alma mater, where her daughter began playing on the volleyball team in 2017.
Favre paid $500,000 to the state in May 2020 and $600,000 in October 2021. In the Feb. 5 court filing, White said Favre still owes $729,790 because interest caused an increase in the original amount he owed.
Fitch's office said in Thursday's lawsuit that the attorney general has never declined to pursue additional litigation to try to get Favre to pay interest on the misspent money.
Mississippi prosecutors have said millions of dollars in federal welfare for low-income residents were wasted on projects supported by wealthy or well-connected people between 2016 and 2019.
Fitch's office filed a lawsuit in May 2022 against Favre and several other people, on behalf of the state Department of Human Services. That lawsuit said TANF money was improperly spent, including on projects Favre supported: $5 million for the volleyball stadium and $1.7 million for the development of a drug to treat concussions.
No criminal charges have been filed against Favre, who has said he has been “unfairly defamed” in media coverage. A former director of the state Department of Human Services and others have pleaded guilty to his involvement in Mississippi's largest public corruption case in decades.
