Jordan Chariton and Jenn Dize, investigative journalists for Status Coup, said that several government officials are attempting to cover up information related to the infamous Flint water crisis.
Both journalists joined Hill.TV’s “Rising” to discuss how several officials are attempting to cover up who knew the water was contaminated with lead and other pollutants, as well as when they discovered the crisis began.
Chariton said the pair retrieved documents from the criminal investigation that showed that top officials for former Gov. Rick Snyder’s (R) administration had their phones erased shortly before the investigation launched. Additionally, Snyder refused to hand over key documents regarding the crisis for three years.
“So there’s erasing of phones, missing messages, the governor’s refusal to cooperate, so there’s a lot of moving parts,” Chariton said. “But through our reporting, what seems like a pretty clear-cut cover-up.”
The health department reportedly did not comment when asked about the missing phones and messages.
Chariton said it was clear that there was tampering with evidence.
Dize added that many Flint residents say the water is still not okay, even after former President Obama reportedly sipped the water, alluding to its safety.
“When you speak to Flint residents, they are furious about that because it was sort of a ‘mission accomplished’ of having Obama sipping the water,” she said.
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