Former state Sen. Bodi White has quit as Gov. Jeff Landry’s legislative liaison after a staffer to Landry lied to him about financing for a bill and that in turn caused White to provide misinformation to a senator and former colleague, he told our media partners at The Advocate on Tuesday.
“I can’t work with people who make me lie,” White said, referring to Lance Maxwell, Landry’s chief legislative liaison. White had been working for Maxwell since Landry became governor in January.
According to the newspaper, the issue was funding for a bill that would require an annual canvass of registered voters to ensure that everyone on the rolls is properly there. This bill is a priority for Landry after then-Gov. John Bel Edwards, his predecessor, vetoed a similar measure three times for fear that it would remove active voters from the rolls who simply hadn’t voted recently.
White told The Advocate that Maxwell told him the House had provided the money for HB 114. But having served as chair of the Finance Committee for the past four years, White checked himself and found that the House hadn’t funded it. He said he and Maxwell had a heated conversation, and then he quit.
“Somebody had to go, so I figured it would be me,” White told the newspaper, adding that he spoke later with Landry who told him that he didn’t want White to lie on his behalf.
"Reporting on the interactions between two staffers is news for TMZ," Kate Kelly, the governor's spokesperson, told the newspaper. "If The Advocate wants to engage in tabloid news, then go ahead. We are in the middle of a session, and the Landry administration is laser focused on fixing crime, education and our economy."
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