Brett Favre enlists former Trump White House lawyer and January 6 committee witness amid Mississippi welfare scandal
- Brett Favre has enlisted a former top Trump White House lawyer.
- Favre hired Eric Herschmann amid legal troubles linked to a massive scandal in Mississippi.
NFL legend Brett Favre has enlisted former Trump White House lawyer and star January 6 committee witness Eric Herschmann, amid his legal fight with the state of Mississippi following revelations of his connections to a sprawling welfare scandal.
Herschmann told Axios' Mike Allen, who broke the news, that he had multiple conversations with Favre that reassured him that the hall of famer "did nothing wrong." He will now be Favre's lead counsel.
"I only agreed to represent Brett Favre after I did my independent due diligence and was convinced that he did nothing wrong," Herschmann told Axios. "Brett enthusiastically tried to help his alma mater, a public university, that needed and wanted his help."
Favre is one of the main characters in what has become one of the largest political scandals in Mississippi history. Mississippi Today has spent months reporting on how former Gov. Phil Bryant's administration "misused and squandered at least $77 million in federal funds meant to assist the state's poorest residents." Late last month, a former top official pled guilty to federal and state charges connected with the scheme.
The publication obtained numerous text messages that showed how Bryant tried to help Favre build a multi-million dollar volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi, the former Packers great's alma mater and where his daughter played volleyball. The project and related improvements to other university facilities received $5 million in the misspent welfare funds.
Favre has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. The Mississippi Department of Human Services sued Favre and three former pro wrestlers in May to try to recover the money.
Herschmann went viral over the summer when the House January 6 committee played portions of his previously videotaped depositions. Herschmann, often with a mixture of profanity, described his efforts to press Trump lawyer John Eastman on efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. He also appeared before the panel in front of a baseball bat emblazoned with the word "JUSTICE." He also represented Trump during his first impeachment trial.
"And when he finished discussing what he planned on doing, I said, 'good, fucking, excuse me, f-ing, a-hole, congratulations you just admitted that your first step or act you would take as attorney general would be committing a felony and violating rule 6c," Herschmann told the panel of a plan by Trump loyalists to overtake the Justice Department and use the federal government to push Trump's fraud claims.