Michael Bloomberg double downs on claims he did not know his campaign was using prison labor to make calls to voters

Former New York Mayor, multi-billionaire, and 2020 presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg has landed himself in hot water over allegations that his campaign utilized prison labor; now he is denying any knowledge of the exploitation.

READ MORE: Michael Bloomberg severs ties with firm that hired prison laborers to make campaign calls

As reported by theGrio.com, on Christmas Eve news broke that Bloomberg, who recently put his hat in the already crowded 2020 Democratic race, exploited prison labor. The Intercept reported that his campaign inadvertently used this labor to make calls on behalf of his campaign. The campaign hired a third-party vendor to operate its call centers. Two of the call centers used by the New Jersey-based company, ProCom, were operated out of state prisons in Oklahoma. According to The Intercept, at least one of the call centers, incarcerated people were contracted to make the calls.

Though ProCom’s founder, John Scallan, said he pays inmates the Oklahoma minimum wage of $7.25/hr, the Department of Corrections website stated that inmates can only make a maximum of $20 a month.

Bloomberg went to Twitter for damage control, claiming he had no idea that ProCom utilized prison labor.

“Earlier today, a news outlet accurately reported that a subcontractor for one of our vendors was using prison workers to make phone calls on behalf of my campaign. After learning this, we immediately ended our relationship with that company.”

Earlier today, a news outlet accurately reported that a subcontractor for one of our vendors was using prison workers to make phone calls on behalf of my campaign. After learning this, we immediately ended our relationship with that company.

Full statement below: pic.twitter.com/0KJ8y8Iqxj

— Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) December 24, 2019

“We only learned about this when the reporter called us, but as soon as we discovered which vendor’s subcontractor had done this, we immediately ended our relationship with the company and the people who hired them.” Bloomberg submitted via a prepared statement. “We do not support this practice and we are making sure our vendors more properly vet their subcontractors going forward.”

“We didn’t know about this and we never would have allowed it if we had,” said Bloomberg spokesperson Julie Wood. “We don’t believe in this practice and we’ve now ended our relationship with the subcontractor in question.”

READ MORE: Cory Booker responds to Mike Bloomberg’s well-spoken comments, assures there is “no beef” between friends

According to The Intercept, Bloomberg was not the first politician to use prison labor for their campaigns. In 1994, the late Washington State Republican Congressman Jack Metcalf to make campaign calls. Metcalf was re-elected for three terms.

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Free Cyntoia: It Was Her Faith That Made It So, Long Before She Left Prison

It is most appropriate that we open on this Sunday morning –it’s Wednesday afternoon, you say? Oh. Excuse me, er, that we open on today, in the Christian tradition, with this quote from the King James Version of the Bible: “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed… nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

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Bryce Gowdy’s mother was concerned with his behavior prior to his suicide

A Florida high school football player’s bright shining star has unfortunately dimmed.

After becoming a much sought after recruit, the young man’s bright future would never come to pass following his untimely death and now investigators have ruled his death a suicide.

Bryce Gowdy, 17, died on Monday in his hometown of Deerfield, Fla., after being hit by a freight train. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, authorities arrived on the scene shortly after 4 a.m. and transported the teen to the hospital where he later died.

READ MORE: Georgia Tech defensive tackle Brandon Adams died over the weekend in Atlanta

Gowdy had been a standout on the Deerfield Beach High School football team. As a star player, he helped lead his school in 30 wins over the last three seasons. AJC reported that he had received over 30 scholarship offers, including from Penn State, Syracuse, and Oregon, but in July, he chose to commit to Georgia Tech becoming one of the college’s top recruits.

Gowdy’s death came just one week before he was to officially join the team as he had finished high school one semester early, according to CNN.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that the night before Gowdy’s death, he had asked his mother, Shibbon Winelle, probing questions about life and whether his family would be OK in his absence.

“He kept talking about the signs and the symbols that he was seeing all over the place,” Winelle said in a Facebook video. “About how he could see the world for what it really was. He kept saying that he could see people for what they really are.”

Though Winelle was concerned about her son’s behavior, she said he had also been talking about positive things.

Georgia Tech’s football coach Geoff Collins released a statement expressing his condolences to Gowdy’s family and friends.

“Our entire Georgia Tech football family is devastated by the news of Bryce’s passing,” Collins said in the statement. “Bryce was an outstanding young man with a bright future. He was a great friend to many, including many of our current and incoming team members. On behalf of our coaches, players, staff, and families, we offer our deepest condolences to Bryce’s mother, Shibbon, and his brothers, Brisai and Brayden, as well as the rest of his family members, his teammates and coaches at Deerfield Beach High School, and his many friends. Bryce and his family will always be a part of the Georgia Tech football family.”

READ MORE: George Atkinson III, ex-Raiders, Notre Dame running back dies a year after twin brother’s suicide

A study released in October by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that Black teens have increasingly been attempting suicide. Between the years 1991-2017, the study concluded that the suicide rate for black youths grew even as the rate of suicide attempts by teens in other racial and ethnic groups fell.

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Tuskegee Airman promoted to Brigadier General just after 100th birthday

A member of the famed Tuskegee Airman received a much-deserved promotion following 30 years of military service.

Charles McGee, a resident of Bethesda, Md., was just promoted to Brigadier General after Donald Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2020 into law on Dec. 20.

READ MORE: Air Force names new trainer jet in honor of Tuskegee Airmen

“It’s wonderful to be recognized for service and what it means to serve,” McGee said. “Certainly to receive that honorary rank is very meaningful.”

WUSA9 reported that McGee, who was a member of the famous Red Tails Squadron, flew 136 missions over Nazi Europe while white pilots were sent home after 50 missions. Following his service during WWII, McGee went on to serve during the Korean and Vietnam wars before his retirement as a colonel.

“Col. Charles McGee’s service to our country is remarkable and fully merits this distinguished honor,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said. “I was proud to fight for the inclusion of this promotion to commemorate his work and his sacrifice. This progress comes just days after Col. McGee’s 100th birthday, and I could not think of a more fitting recognition from a truly grateful nation.”

Prior to the honorary promotion, McGee had just celebrated his 100th birthday for which he piloted a Cirrus Vision Jet, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Last year, for McGee’s 99th birthday, he co-piloted a blue-and-white HondaJet over the Virginia countryside.

READ MORE: M.I.A. Tuskegee Airman finally laid to rest, 75 years after being lost in heroic mission

“He had a high school counselor who said he’d make a good truck driver,” McGee’s son Ronald, who followed in his father’s footsteps to become an aviator, told the Washington Post at the time. “So he went to college and got an aerospace engineering degree.”

A book about McGee’s life, Tuskegee Airman: The Biography of Charles E. McGee, Air Force Fighter Combat Record Holder is available for those interested in learning more about the famed pilot. The book was written by McGee’s eldest daughter, Charlene McGee-Smith, Ph.D.

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Racist Cop Who Kicked In Black Woman's Door Is Still a Cop: But Why Though?

You may remember reports of New York City police officer Michael J. Reynolds landing in Nashville, Tennessee in July 2018, according to court records. Reynolds was attending a 3-day bachelor party with six other men, two of whom were also identified as NYC officers.

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