Watch West Virginia Watchdog Managing Editor Steven Allen Adams talk with WCHS TV Reporter Gilbert Corsey for a segment on the WCHS Eyewitness News at 11. Click here to watch the video!

Below is a transcript of the WCHS News segment:

“When you try something new for the first time there’s bound to be mistakes. When you try something new with 787-billion dollars in taxpayer money, those mistakes get more attention.

A political group called the West Virginia Watchdog found mistakes in stimulus accountability reports. They discovered almost 2.5 million dollars of West Virginia’s federal stimulus being spent in eight fake congressional districts. The federal government’s own stimulus tracking website recovery.gov showed that money created or saved 14 jobs in the nonexistent districts.

State leaders said it was a clerical mistake. West Virginia’s American Reinvestment and Recovery Act Coordinator Danny Scalise said, ” 01, 02, and 03 are the congressional codes that correlate to West Virginia. If you put 12 instead of 02 that’s just a clerical error.”

Reporting errors are popping up throughout the county. There are reports of more than 75-thousand bogus jobs being created or saved with stimulus money. West Virginia State Senator Brooks Mccabe said, ” I think it’s frustrating to see mistakes like that especially ones that are so clearly wrong”

Even with the errors Governor Manchin said the integrity of the program remains in tact. Manchin said, “We’re making sure there’s no phantom out there getting money they don’t deserve or money being lost in a pit. I feel very comfortable and very sure that’s not happening here. A clerical error can be repaired.” Manchin said, “This is a big thing and we’re going to stay on it.”

Show me the Money – West Virginia’s Eyewitness News

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