EXCLUSIVE: Flint's Adam Murphy was removed from a #FlintWaterCrisis town hall by state officials. Weeks later, Gov Snyder's top adviser was in his living room.
You'll be my "lead poster child," Adam was told w/ the offer for MI-funded medical treatment. But there was a catch...
You'll be my "lead poster child," Adam was told w/ the offer for MI-funded medical treatment. But there was a catch...
Richard Baird, who called himself Snyder's "best friend," offered Adam—who was sick w/ seizures & severe cognitive problems after drinking Flint's toxic water—chelation treatment. But Baird told Adam/then-wife they couldn't go to the media or reveal the state was paying for it...
Baird, known in MI government & in Flint as Gov. Snyder's right-hand man and "fixer," framed the state paying for Adam's treatment as a "pilot program." If the chelation was successful at removing lead from Adam's body, the state would make it available to more of Flint...
What Adam/his then-wife didn't know—and Status Coup in partnership with @VICE uncovered—was Snyder's right-hand man was allegedly attempting to pay off other sick and publicly LOUD Flint residents w/ treatment and expanded services...
Snyder's right-hand man told Adam/then-wife Christina she'd get treatment when done breastfeeding their newborn (born w/ lead in his blood). This never happened. When Snyder left office, MI stopped paying for Adam's treatment. Adam says this was all part of Snyder's "hush fund"..
Adam on whether Snyder and/or Baird should be prosecuted: "To the fullest...people are dying, people have died; if I poisoned you I should be prosecuted to the fullest...not brushed under the rug and said 'oh well you're the government.' Six years later nobody's in prison."
Adam/Christina both allege to us that Baird, Snyder's right-hand-man, told them he was going to go talk to his "best friend" Snyder about this "pilot program" (Adam's treatment). We learned Baird told other residents HE WAS PAYING FOR ADAM'S TREATMENT out of his own pocket...
But emails/text messages we reviewed show Gov Snyder's administration was paying for Adam's treatment beginning in 2017 through the end of 2018. The chelation treatment, which extracts heavy metals like lead from one's body, helped to dramatically lower Adam's blood lead levels..
his seizures went away & cognitive impairment functioning approved, Adam told us. Snyder & Baird declined multiple requests for comment on the treatment the state paid for & whether Snyder was aware of it...
Our major #FlintWaterCrisis investigation w/ @VICE uncovered other attempts by Baird to allegedly pay off the sickest and loudest residents with special treatment, expanded services, or state-paid for home repair (of busted pipes) vice.com/en_us/article/…
We also uncovered:
1) Snyder was warned about hazards of Flint River as a drinking water source a year before the 2014 water switch (& allowed it anyway)
2) Snyder became aware of the deadly Legionella outbreak in Flint in October 2014--16 months earlier than he told Congress.
1) Snyder was warned about hazards of Flint River as a drinking water source a year before the 2014 water switch (& allowed it anyway)
2) Snyder became aware of the deadly Legionella outbreak in Flint in October 2014--16 months earlier than he told Congress.
3) Snyder was under AGGRESSIVE criminal investigation by since-fired prosecutors/investigators and his chief of staff, state treasurer, and right-hand-man Rich Baird were SECRETLY subpoenaed for interviews by prosecutors...
4) Snyder's right-hand man silenced/threatened key administration whistleblower who PLEADED w/ the administration to move Flint off of the Flint River in October 2014--6 months after water switch while there was still time to save lives...this was weeks b4 Snyder's reelection...
5) Snyder and his top officials "punished" Flint's Mayor constantly--according to @karenaboutflint, who spoke with us---by reneging on funding promises to Flint after she refused their REPEATED attempts to declare Flint's water safe to residents.
6) Prosecutors were AGGRESSIVELY investigating a shady financial deal for a new water pipeline that the Snyder administration signed off...this deal led to Flint using the Flint River
7) Snyder and his administration were investigated like it had “committed conspiracies of ongoing crimes, like an organized crime unit,” a source with knowledge of the probe told us/@VICE.
Thus far, the @flintjournal, Detroit @freepress, @detroitnews, @AP, @nytimes, @washingtonpost, @CNN, @maddow/@MSNBC, @thedailybeast, @BuzzFeedNews, @HuffPostPol, @thehill, @politico, @BET @TheYoungTurks and more have not covered this bombshell. I guess 6 years later, who cares.
We're working on a follow-up....a LOT MORE including current Governor @gretchenwhitmer's role as well as a powerful private foundation with major influence in Michigan. If you support this independent investigative journalism, support us for 16 cents a day statuscoup.com/join
FULL INTERVIEW w/ Adam:
