Judge rules in favor of The Times-Dispatch on Youngkin FOIA challenge

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. T. March Bell, a Youngkin hire, previously accused of mishandling state funds at DEQ

T. March Bell, a Youngkin hire, previously accused of mishandling state funds at DEQ

In May, Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration offered a job to T. March Bell, an attorney and former congressional aide. Unlike many of the governor’s hires, Bell’s new role as senior advisor to Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Bob Mosier wasn’t formally announced by the administration.

But Bell is a well-known figure in politics at the state and federal levels. He was asked to resign as deputy director of Virginia Department of Environmental Quality in 1997 after a legislative audit found he couldn’t justify a nearly $8,000 payment to a former employee. More recently, Bell has attracted scrutiny for his role in a congressional investigation into Planned Parenthood centered on debunked claims the group was profiting from the sales of fetal tissue.

Bell, who lives in Northern Virginia, is currently listed as president of the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics, a nonprofit that links free-market capitalism and Christianity. His biography on the organization’s website says that he has “extensive experience in executive management and public policy, as well as legal expertise.” It also notes his time as “deputy director of a Virginia state agency” without noting the circumstances of his departure.

IFWE’s founder, Hugh Whelchel, has embraced hardline views on the group’s website, claiming that “Western civilization is the most prosperous, successful civilization ever because of Christianity — nothing else.”

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