Sound Off Louisiana

Gov. John Bel Edwards’ appointees to the Louisiana Interior Design Board

Rev. Freddie Lee Phillips showed up 32 seconds after public comment was “closed” for the Louisiana Interior Design Board (IDB) meeting of Friday, July 21, 2017.  Accordingly, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards’ appointees to that Board flatly denied him the opportunity to speak.  Accordingly, Rev. Phillips found another vacant meeting room in the facility, the East Baton Rouge Public Library, and he sounded off on the Board’s aborted initiative to implement a search and seizure policy he claims is targeted directly at him:

Rev. Phillips sounds off entailing the IDB’s hastily-aborted “search and seizure” initiative.

At the April 25, 2017 LALB meeting, the IDB makes it crystal clear just how much they fear Rev. Phillips by demanding that he “not approach the table.”  At the 0:36 mark of the video, one of the Board Members asks, “Where’s Ronald?”  She is referencing EBRP Deputy Ronald Landry.  Executive Director Sandy Edmonds responds:  “I don’t know where Ronald is.  I talked to him yesterday.”

Although Executive Director Sandy Edmonds states in the video that she “hired Deputy Landry because of Mr. Phillips attending the meeting along with Mr. Burns and his video camera,” it is apparent from her email of 6/4/10 to Burns, in which she bends over backwards to meet with Burns ALONE at headquarters (yet simultaneously told Rev. Phillips that headquarters was “closed”) that the members’ fear is Phillips, not Burns.  As he indicated he would, Rev. Phillips requested that an IDB agenda item be added to discuss the hiring of EBRP Deputy Ronald Landry. Chairman Steinmetz flatly denied Phillips’ request.

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Embattled LSPC Member Calvin Braxton

Fox 8’s Lee Zurik went straight for the jugular entailing Gov. John Bel Edwards’ inaction for a FULL YEAR after receiving this damning report entailing Louisiana State Police Commission (LSPC) Member Calvin Braxton attempting to use his influence and abuse his powers to have tickets fixed and even an attempt to have an LSP Trooper disciplined for arresting his daughter for DWI.

Though Braxton largely avoided Zurik’s questioning, he chose to address the matter with his colleagues once Zurik and his film crew left the meeting.  Zurik incorporated Sound Off Louisiana’s video footage (beginning at the 6:10 mark of his report) of Braxton’s commentary in his report, including Braxton defiantly stating:  “The Governor did what he did.  I’m still here.”

Zurik also supplied a follow-up letter to Edwards sent by the Louisiana State Trooper’s Association dated  June 19, 2017 point-blank asking Gov. Edwards, “whether or not you plan to proceed with specifications of charges against Mr. Braxton and have this matter set for a public hearing?”

Though she didn’t have the advantage of one-on-one interview footage with Braxton, WWL’s Katie Moore also featured the scandal on the 10:00 p.m. newscast.  In her report, she too included Braxton’s bold statement supplied by Sound Off Louisiana footage (beginning at the 3:50 mark of her report) wherein Braxton characterized Governor Edwards as “doing what he did” (i.e. nothing) and the fact Braxton boldly proclaimed himself “still here.”  Immediately after Braxton’s bold statement on Moore’s feature, Gov. Edwards’ Executive Counsel, Matthew Block, tip toes around Braxton’s alleged actions.  That segment of the video speaks for itself.

Can anyone just imagine the campaign commercials to run in 2019 by top Republican contenders for Governor of Louisiana entailing this incident?  The commercial can begin with Edwards’ oft-repeated “Honor Code” mantra of the 2015 campaign, followed by footage of him doing ZILCH about this situation for over a year (and that’s under the assumption he chooses to take action now).  Even if Edwards severs ties with Braxton immediately, the question (just as Zurik posed) remains:  Why did Governor John Bel Edwards sit on this for a full year and have to be forced into action by the media?  It’s going to be a tough question for “Honor Code” to answer in the 2019 campaign!

The following video is Braxton’s full commentary regarding Zurik’s surprise visit at the LSPC meeting of Thursday, July 13, 2017:

7/13/17 LSPC Meeting:  Commissioner Braxton comments publicly about allegations of “ticket fixing,” to include his daughter’s DWI.

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LSPC Member Calvin Braxton

In our latest Sound Off Louisiana feature, we reveal fallout from Fox8 (Channel 8 in New Orleans) investigative reporter Lee Zurik blindsiding Louisiana State Police Commission (LSPC) Member Calvin Braxton just prior to the meeting of Thursday, July 13, 2017 regarding emails he showed Braxton between him and former Executive Director Cathy Derbonne.  The emails were asserted to pertain to “ticket fixing,” and they included one or more emails regarding Braxton’s daughter’s arrest for DWI.  Braxton said little to Zurik, but he chose to address the issue after Zurik’s departure near the conclusion of the meeting.  In doing so, Braxton made a vague reference to having “met with the Attorney General’s Office yesterday entailing Cathy Derbonne.”  His full commentary follows:

LSPC’s Braxton comments publicly about allegations of “ticket fixing,” to include his daughter’s arrest for DWI.

Lee Zurik (Fox8 New Orleans) teaser for feature on 10 p.m. newscast to air on Monday, July 17, 2017.

Report submitted to Gov. Edwards on July 11, 2016 entailing Braxton’s conduct.

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