Scott Fischbach: Consultant for hire or endorsement for rent?
Ross said he was not aware that Fischbach was on the board of Mississippi Right to Life when he hired him prior to getting the group’s endorsement. If Ross didn’t know, he was one of the few members of the Mississippi political establishment who didn’t know it.
“I hired him because he gets results and is effective,” said Ross. “There was no quid pro quo.”
Fischbach concurred in that assessment and said he did not participate in the choice of Ross for the endorsement but that after meeting Ross “I decided I wanted to go with him.”
Fischbach said that despite his offer to Bryant, his hiring by Ross had nothing to do with Ross getting the endorsement.
“It’s not like I said to Phil, hire me and you’ll get the endorsement,” said Fischbach. “I met with both of them. I liked Phil, he’s pro-life, but I decided I wanted to go with Charlie. There was no quid pro quo, absolutely none.”
One question — just what changed Fischbach’s mind about Bryant’s pro-life stance and his desire to help Bryant “win” between the March 10 memo and the time the MTRL endorsements came out? The March 10 Fischbach memo says more about the truth of this mess than anything a newspaper columnist can opine.
Sid Salter Blog
Clarion Ledger
7/18/7
Magnolia Tribune
