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Will blogger Johnson appear before grand jury?

Geoff Pender
The Clarion-Ledger
Chris McDaniel and Thad Cochran

It's unclear whether California political blogger Charles C. Johnson, who raised claims of vote buying against U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, will be appearing before a Lauderdale County grand jury next week.

A spokeswoman for Attorney General Jim Hood said the AG's policy is to neither confirm nor deny the issuance of a grand jury subpoena or related investigation. But she said in general, regarding subpoenas, "anyone who fails to follow an order to appear in court can be held in contempt of court."

It appears any grand jury investigation would be into whether people lied about vote buying rather than the vote buying allegations.

Johnson posted on social media photos of a subpoena he said he was served while in Mississippi on a speaking tour last month. The subpoena commanded Johnson to appear before a Lauderdale County grand jury on Sept. 22 in conjunction with an investigation into a possible felony.

Since then, Johnson said on a conservative online radio show that he was debating whether to show and "I don't know that I intend to go walk right into the lion's den."

He criticized Mississippi authorities for "looking to investigate me rather than the really serious claims that I've made." Johnson did not respond Thursday to an e-mail seeking comment.

Bilbo Mitchell, district attorney for Lauderdale County, said his office is not working on any case related to the election or voter fraud claims. But he said Hood has asked to present a case next week to the county grand jury.

Johnson's bombastic reports and accusations on the Mississippi Senate race drew national attention to his Gotnews site and social media, particularly after he published a story and lengthy audio interview with Stevie Fielder of Meridian. Fielder claimed he received thousands of dollars in envelopes from a Cochran campaign staffer to pay people in the African-American community around Meridian $15 each for their vote in the June 24 GOP runoff.

Fielder, a self-proclaimed reverend, in an interview with the Clarion-Ledger recanted much of what he had said in the Gotnews report. He said he was asked by someone whom he wouldn't identify to buy votes, but he didn't. He also said he had talked with the AG's office. Some of Fielder's fellow church members and others in Meridian questioned his veracity and trustworthiness.

Hood, in his Neshoba Fair speech last month, said Fielder was paid to lie in an interview with "a political blogger." Hood's office later said it was Noel Fritsch, communications director for the Chris McDaniel campaign, who paid Fielder for the interview. Hood has said his office had found no evidence of vote buying.

Fielder, in an interview with Mississippi Public Broadcasting, said he was paid for the Gotnews interview but was not asked to lie. He said he was describing a hypothetical situation about vote buying in that audio.

The subpoena Johnson published ordered him to bring any records regarding his interview of Fielder and about any payments to Fielder for interview. It also orders him to bring any records regarding Johnson's dealings with Fritsch or South Mississippi tea party leader John Rhodes.

Rhodes has said he doesn't know why his name is being brought up, other than Fielder called him after the runoff and said he had information that would "blow the lid off the Cochran campaign." Rhodes said he directed Fielder to two tea party colleagues who worked as volunteers on the McDaniel campaign.

McDaniel has used the Fielder interview audio as part of his legal challenge to his loss to Cochran.

McDaniel recently said he welcomes an investigation into the matter.

"That's a good thing," McDaniel said. "I hope as they begin to subpoena documents between Rev. Fielder and others, they'll get to the bottom of this. I'm glad we're seeing the wheels of justice move and subpoenas are out there."

Contact Geoff Pender at (601) 961-7266 or gpender@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @GeoffPender on Twitter.